Harry Potter and the Path to Salvation
by jwhit-moony
Summary: Begins early in summer before 6th year. War is at hand. The time to choose between the light and the Dark is now. Harry must prepare for anything. HPGW. Mixture of genres. OotP spoliers! R&R! Rating for later chapters. Better description inside.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or any of the characters or ideas from the universe created by the absolutely brilliant J.K. Rowling. I wish I did, though.

A/N: Hello everyone. This is my first fanfic. I have been extremely bored since the third HP movie came out. Don't get me wrong, it was amazing; I am just sad that now the next thing to look forward to is book six, which does not even have a release date yet. In order to ease my pain, I started reading various fanfics, many of which are wonderful. The problem is that now I find myself waiting on story updates from 4 or 5 of the authors. It is driving me insane. Therefore, I have decided to take matters into my own hands.

This is a 6th year fic, which begins shortly after the summer holidays begin. The rating is PG-13, although it could possibly go up. I doubt this will happen, but I may as well warn everyone, just in case. The story will be a mixture of genres; that is why it is listed as General. There will eventually be a significant amount of HPGW, because that is by far my favorite pairing. There will also be a touch of HGRW, but not a whole lot. There may be other relationships, but they will not be ever-present. This is not a romance driven plot. It is a plot that merely contains some romance. Also, there will be a lot of action, and Harry will become more powerful. But, this is absolutely NOT a Super Harry fic.

I pretty much have the entire story outlined, and the first few chapters written. I can already tell that this will be a very long story, probably with between 30-40 chapters, and I am guessing it will exceed 100,000 words. But, if I am not receiving reviews from people (or am only getting negative ones), I will discontinue my work. Please take the time to review. I hope you all enjoy.

**Harry Potter and the Path to Salvation**

CHAPTER 1 – Hard Times

The sun was barely beneath the horizon, having just disappeared. Small strips of light still trickled out in every direction. A boy with out-of-control black hair sat quietly at the window of his second floor room, staring out into the sky. It had been an entire week since Harry had seen his friends. Sure, he had received letters from most of them almost daily, but he still had not been with them. Not that it really mattered, though. Even if he were with his friends right now, he wouldn't know what to say to them. He didn't feel like talking with anyone. And he was positive that he wasn't ready to share any of the recent revelations that had occurred to him since the night when...

He couldn't keep himself from constantly dwelling on this subject. As hard as he fought to bar it from his mind, it always managed to sweep in when he was least expecting it, causing him to slip back into an emotional hole. Sirius, the closest thing to a father that he had ever known, was dead. He had died because of...

Tears began to form in his eyes, and before he knew it, they were flowing freely down the side of his face. This was nothing new, of course. This was the fourth time that day, in fact, in which emotion had taken over the Boy-who-lived. He had yet to figure out how to make it stop, other than when he was forced to by the unsympathetic comments from his Uncle Vernon, who had twice been in Harry's proximity when he lost control.

His Uncle didn't understand what had happened. He didn't know that Harry's Godfather was dead because he, Harry, had been reckless. Nor did Uncle Vernon care about what had happened. He simply yelled both times for Harry to stop making a scene, and threatened to really give him something to cry about.

On he cried, into his open hands, frustrated with himself for being unable to stop. Then, having not noticed the movement in the sky directly in front of him, because his face was buried in his hands, Harry jumped at a slight tapping on his window. He was on his feet immediately, wand drawn, only to find an unfamiliar brown owl carrying a letter, hovering outside. Harry lowered his wand and reached forward to raise the window, after first wiping the tears from his face on his sleeve. Immediately the owl shot inside and landed upon the desk with a soft hoot, which was returned by Hedwig, who was perched inside her cage a few feet away. Harry reached down and relieved the owl of its letter. Without a second glance towards him, the owl rose in to the air and vanished into the late-evening's sky.

Harry slowly returned his gaze to the envelope in his hand. It was a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But, it was too soon for the school lists to arrive, and the O.W.L. results wouldn't be sent from Hogwarts. He didn't understand. What was this letter? Hesitantly, Harry turned the letter over, unsealed it, and removed the contents. After he carefully unfolded the parchment, Harry saw that this was a personal letter from the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore.

_Dear Harry _

_Be ready to depart from your current location sometime tomorrow. A guard will remove you to the same location as you resided last summer. Further details and issues will be discussed at a later date. Tell no one._

_AD_

Harry stared blankly at the parchment. He was leaving already? And going to Grimmauld Place no less? Not that he wanted to remain with the Dursleys, but Harry wasn't sure that he wanted to return to the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. He loathed everything about that house. It reminded him of Sirius.

And for the second time in less than five minutes, Harry's chest constricted. His eyes began to swell; his face contorted. However, this time his sorrow was accompanied by another emotion: anger. Turning towards his bed, Harry kicked the chair in his path out of the way. He marched over to the bed and flopped himself down face first into the pillow.

"I won't go back to that awful place!" he screamed in to his pillow.

The tears were now streaming straight from his eyes and on to the linen pillow, dampening it more with every passing moment. Harry lay there, replaying once again, the memory of his Godfather falling through the veil at the department of mysteries, an event that took place hardly more than a week before. And now he was supposed to return to the one place where he would surely never be able to rid his mind of thoughts of Sirius? What was Dumbledore playing at? It was this thought that Harry dwelled on for some while, before eventually drifting off to sleep.

Harry lay stretched out upon a nice patch of bright green grass, in the middle of a deserted meadow. There wasn't a soul in sight, human or animal. It was just him. He slowly rose from his comfortable position on the grass, to stand. He wanted to take in the view around him as best as possible. He could never remember having been somewhere so peaceful and beautiful. He watched as a nearby tree was rid of several leaves from a rather strong gust of wind. He then turned his eyes heavenward; he saw the blazing sun overhead...and then it began to dim.

Harry was confused. He had never witnessed anything of this sort before. The sun was gradually becoming less bright, and with it, the air was becoming cooler. A chill went up his spine as another strong gust of wind struck against his body. Unease traveled throughout his body, from head to toe. Then he heard the all-too-familiar disturbing laugh that had been haunting him for the past several years. Harry quickly turned on his heel, reaching for his wand at the same time. But his wand wasn't in its place. Before he could think to search elsewhere, he had completed his one-hundred and eighty degree turn, and now found himself facing a large black-hooded figure, standing only a few feet from him.

Harry was frozen. He wanted to turn and run, but he found that his feet wouldn't budge from their current position. The cloaked figure was holding something in its hand, which slowly began to move towards Harry. It was a long metal object that Harry didn't recognize as any type of wand that he had ever seen. When the figure finally had it raised to Harry's eye level, comprehension dawned. Harry knew what it was, and that it wasn't something typically seen in the wizarding world. Now only a mere inches from his face was a branding iron, glowing bright-red on the end, the shape of which seemed oddly familiar to Harry. It was the exact shape and size of the scar already on his forehead. Then, unable to move from its path, Harry screamed as the red-hot iron made contact with his forehead. The pain was unbearable. He wanted to make it stop, but couldn't. All he could do was scream.

"WAKE UP BOY! STOP THAT RACKET! YOU STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!" roared Uncle Vernon.

Harry's eyes opened, and his hands immediately flew to his forehead. His uncle was still growling at him with displeasure, but none of the words were getting through. His head was burning so hard, he felt as if he had just been touched with...but before he could finish his thought, a hand grasped firmly on his forearm, pulling it away from his face. Harry watched reluctantly as Uncle Vernon's purple face continued to spit out angry words, none of which Harry heard. Finally, slightly regaining his composure, Harry pulled his arm back from his uncle's grip, and pushed himself up and out of his bed. He started toward the door, but found that his legs were unable to support him any longer. He then collapsed at the feet of his uncle, and violently vomited all over them.

A/N: The chapters will get longer and have much more dialogue, I promise. Also, chapter two will be posted soon. Please review!


	2. Time to Depart

A/N: This isn't much longer than chapter one, but don't worry. Starting with chapter 3, pretty much every post will be a minimum of 2,000 words. I would like to stress the word "minimum." Hope you all enjoy it enough to hang around that long. Okay, enough of this nonsense.

CHAPTER 2 – Time to Depart

The remainder of the night had not gone well. After Harry heaved the contents of his stomach all over Uncle Vernon, the man's fury only increased. His uncle had absolutely no sympathy for him. Uncle Vernon cursed him, and then made him get up and clean the mess up that had been made. Harry was up cleaning the floor and washing his uncle's clothes for over an hour. When he had finally finished, the sun was peaking out over the horizon. There was no point in trying to fall back asleep. He wasn't even tired anymore. Besides, the thought of drifting away in to his dreams again, where he was practically defenseless, was not too comforting. On top of that, the day had already begun, and Harry still had to pack. Professor Dumbledore had not stated the time that he would be picked up; he only knew that it would be sometime during the day.

Harry spent the remainder of the morning gathering his items together and packing them away in his trunk, being careful not to forget anything. All the while, lingering at the back of his mind was the dream he had experienced only hours before. Everything had felt so real. His scar had felt as if it were literally on fire...as if it had been touched with a branding iron. And that sinister laugh, he recognized all too well. Had it merely been a dream, or was the Dark Lord entering his mind again? Harry hadn't experienced anything remotely similar since the summer holidays had begun. Sure, he had nightmares practically every time he slept, but nothing so extreme. They always contained pieces of past events. Only two nights ago, he had dreamed that the second task of the Tri-Wizard tournament had gone differently. Instead of him rescuing Fleur's sister, the merpeople had begun chucking spears in his direction as he tried desperately to pull them to the surface. Both Ron and Gabrielle had been struck with the sharp weapons, and by the time he reached the surface they were no longer alive. All the while, he heard the merpeople chanting something about him cheating, which was the ultimate crime. Needless to say, he had woken in quite a panic.

Still, as terrible as that dream had been, Harry knew it was not real. It had been an altered memory of a sort. Las night, though, Harry visited a place he was unfamiliar with, and the experience was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

He considered writing Hermione or Ron to tell them, but figured that they would merely give him the same answer that had been floating about in his mind all morning: He needed to talk with Professor Dumbledore. Figuring that he would indeed have the opportunity to speak with the Headmaster sometime later in the day, Harry decided against sending a note with Hedwig to one of his friends.

Around a quarter past one o'clock, Harry was laying on his bed flipping through one of his aunt's muggle magazines. He wasn't really absorbing any of the information contained on the gossip-filled pages. He just took it from the living room so that he would have something to help pass the time, and since he didn't want to take anything out of his neatly packed trunk (He had spent several hours organizing everything perfectly; again, in order to pass the time.), he had figured the magazine as good as anything. He had been staring absent-mindedly at a page devoted to a muggle actress who was only twenty-one years old and had just filed for divorce for the third time, when Aunt Petunia called him from downstairs.

"Boy, get down here! Now!" her shrilly voice echoed through the house as if it pained her to even admit he took residence in her abode. Wondering what he had managed to do this time, Harry trudged out of his room and down the stairs.

"Hurry up!" she cried from inside the kitchen.

He continued through the door to the kitchen, and once inside, found himself staring at a panicky Aunt Petunia leaning against the counter. The reason for her mood was evident to Harry once he turned his eyes towards the kitchen table, which currently had two occupants who were extremely out of place. Waiting patiently was none other than Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Hello Harry," said Lupin casually. "How are you?"

Harry was so caught off guard by the mere presence of the two wizards and the fact that they were lounging comfortably at the table as if they visited the Dursleys regularly, that he was unable to return the greeting to his one-time Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He simply stared at the men in disbelief, mouth hanging open.

"Potter, are you okay?" asked Kingsley after a few awkward moments of silence.

Finally, Harry was able to regain his composure, and snap out of the state of shock in which he had momentarily been stuck.

"Er –uh, hello. Sorry. You, eh...caught me by surprise," he said to the men. I wasn't expecting you until tonight, after the sun had gone down."

"Well, we didn't see the need to be quite so covert with our mission this time around. Our intelligence reports show that Privet Drive isn't even being watched anymore," stated Lupin, who paused at the slightly surprised look in Harry's eyes. "Of course, we have still continued to watch the area closely, just in case."

"Remus," Kingsley broke in, "Perhaps we could discuss this later. We should get moving."

"Of course. Harry, have you packed your things yet?"

"Erm...yes. I took care of it earlier this morning." As he said this, he couldn't help but glance in the direction of his aunt, whose expression he found to be unchanged.

"Splendid. Kingsley, why don't you go with Harry to gather his things? I will wait here for you."

"Okay," responded the muscularly built auror as he rose from his seat at the table. "Lead the way, Potter."

Harry nodded, then turned and walked out the door. Once he reached the stairs, he stopped, remembering that he had just left his aunt in the kitchen with a wizard. Figuring that he should probably rescue both her and Lupin from each other, he turned to Kinsley and said, "My room is the first door on the right. Would you mind grabbing my trunk and Hedwig's cage for me? I need to...find something down here...I don't want to leave it." Harry felt bad lying to the man, but knew it was for the best. He couldn't even imagine some of the horrible things that might escape from his aunt's mouth if she was aggravated.

"Alright then. Just the trunk and cage?" asked Kingsley.

Harry nodded. "Thanks. I'll just meet you back in the kitchen," as he slipped past the man and quickly made his way towards the kitchen. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard an odd string of words spoken in what sounded very much like his aunt's voice, which caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

"...And he will be safe where you are taking him?" asked Aunt Petunia in a tone that sounded surprisingly concerned. Harry, desperate to hear more without alerting anyone of his presence, cautiously moved his ear closer to the door.

"Yes, Petunia. I promise that he will be perfectly safe until he returns to school, where he, as always, is in the safest of hands. Remember, he has many people who care greatly for him, and who would put their lives on the line in order to keep him safe. Dumbledore will always do his best to keep Harry from being harmed."

"I know. I just have a hard time understanding everything about...your world," she said. "The only thing I know for sure is that when he is here, there is no threat. That was made perfectly clear to me a long time ago."

"That is correct. You know the reason he remains here during the summer holidays. But, with Sirius' passing..." he paused for a moment. "With Sirius gone, Harry will now have his own home, as inheritance. The house is undetectable and extremely safe. Sirius made it quite clear in his will that he wanted Harry to be happy during the breaks that he spent away from Hogwarts. And even though you have been kind enough to keep him all of these years, Harry is unhappy when he is forced to stay here."

"You know very well that I wish things could be different," she protested, "but Vernon –"

"There is no need to get defensive. I understand. I know you Petunia. I know that you have –"

Harry wasn't able to hear the rest of the conversation, though, because he had just heard Kinglsey descending the stairs behind him, and had leapt away from the door. He hurried towards the bottom of the steps, where he watched the man as he descended. Still a bit shocked at what he had just heard, Harry tried to force his facial expression back to normal, though he found this task quite difficult.

"Everything okay Potter? Did you find what you were looking for?" asked Kingsley as he dropped the trunk and cage at Harry's feet, which he had previously been levitating.

"Yeah, I got it," he said a little too quickly.

Eyeing him suspiciously, Kingsley simply nodded. "Well, we'll just leave your things here until we leave." He then stepped past Harry and entered the kitchen. When Harry walked in behind him, he saw Aunt Petunia still standing where she had been earlier, and with the same expression on her face. He thought this was quite strange, considering what he had just overheard.

"We're ready, Lupin," said Kingsley.

"Wonderful," replied the werewolf. "Well then, Harry. Let's be off now. Say goodbye to your aunt."

"Er –yes. Goodbye then. I...umm...guess I'll be seeing you next summer." His aunt, obviously back to normal, merely stared at him, without so much as a nod of recognition. Harry, now even more confused, turned and walked out the door and in to the hall, closely followed by his fellow wizards. Once alone in the hallway with them, Harry turned to Lupin. He wanted to ask about what he had heard, but then realized he was eavesdropping and that Lupin wouldn't be very impressed by that. He didn't want to disappoint the man. Instead, he decided he'd just wait and see what his friends thought about the incident. "So, how are we traveling?"

"We are taking a portkey," replied Kingsley. "I sent your owl ahead, because they generally don't appreciate traveling by means of portkey. She should arrive there sometime later this afternoon." With that, he pulled an old and battered paperback copy of Cannery Row out of his pocket, and handed it to Lupin. Lupin tapped his wand against the book, while muttering something under his breath, and then turned his eyes towards Harry.

"Okay, Harry. This will send you straight to the grim old place you were last summer. We will apparate with your items and meet you there." He looked down at his watch, and then back at Harry. "Here, take it. It will activate in 5 seconds." Harry took the old book without saying a word, and within seconds felt that strange pulling sensation behind his navel, as he was whisked away to a new location.

A/N: Well, thanks to those of you who reviewed the last chapter. I wasn't actually expecting anyone to post a review, let alone ones that were decent. I hope opinions don't change too much after reading this one, though. Anyway, the next chapter will be up in a day or two. Please review!


	3. Dumbledore

CHAPTER 3 – Dumbledore

Harry suddenly felt himself drop onto a hard wood floor, unable to stay on his feet. He kept his eyes shut tightly and his teeth gritted for only a few seconds before he felt comfortable enough to ease himself into his new surroundings. When he opened his eyes and was once again on his feet, Harry surveyed the room. It took him no time at all to realize that he was in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place, and by himself. Not two seconds later, however, there were two loud pops next to the entrance and he was joined by Lupin and Kingsley.

"Well, here we are," said Lupin cheerfully. "Welcome back, Harry." For the first time that afternoon, however, Lupin found himself privy to a flash of darkness that coursed its way through Harry's eyes. His previously content demeanor had quickly changed to one of grimness.

"I don't want to be here. You of all people should understand that. Why were you told to collect me from Little Whinging? Why have decisions regarding my life been made, without so much as even asking for my consent?" Harry nearly growled through his gritted teeth.

Obviously realizing that the situation was more delicate than he had previously thought, Lupin was careful with his response. "I am sorry that you are upset. You have every right to be. And yes, I do understand why you might wish not to be here. But, there are reasons for your having to return." Harry began to open his mouth to retort, but Lupin cut him off. "I assure you that all of your questions will be answered as soon as Professor Dumbledore arrives," he quickly stole a glance at his watch, "which should be any time now. Why don't you have a seat on the couch? Kingsley can take your things upstairs to your room and I will go put on some tea. Alright? Good. Sit now and we'll be right back." With that, both men turned on their heel and retreated from the room. They had cleared out so quickly that Harry hadn't even had the chance to express his agreement with the idea before they were out of sight.

He was left standing in the middle of the room, astonished by what had just happened. Eventually, though he took Lupin's advice and sank himself onto the aging brown couch. He was just about to get up and walk around, when in walked Professor Dumbledore.

"Hello Harry. I see you arrived without any complications," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Er—hello sir," he replied. Harry found he was still slightly embarrassed for the way he had acted in the headmaster's office the last time they had spoken. However, he had just realized this, as he was finding it difficult to look the man in the eyes. Harry felt awful. The situation was already awkward, and they had only been in each other's presence for all of 10 seconds. Feeling a mild surge of his Gryffindor bravery make it way through his body, he decided he should say something. "Uh, sir, I...about that night...I didn't mean to –"

"You need not apologize. All is forgiven and forgotten. You see, that small incident is in the past now. It is time to move forward. I'm not just talking about what happened in my office, though." He walked to a chair adjacent from the couch where Harry was planted, and sat. "This is one of the reasons you have been brought here to Grimmauld Place. Harry, I realize that I haven't always made the right decisions, and for that I apologize. But, now I need you to look past my mistakes. I need you to move forward...and to trust me again."

Harry sat there, his eyes fixed on the man. This was very different from the last time they spoke, when Dumbledore had taken quite a while to get to the point. This time he just dove right in to things. Something was refreshing about this new approach the old man had, though. Harry sensed that he was finally being taken seriously, and almost felt that he was being treated as an adult, merely by the way the professor spoke to him. At this thought, he felt as though a small weight lifted from his shoulders. "I trust you, sir," he said firmly.

"Good. Now that we have resolved that issue, it is time to get down to business. As I said, now is the time to move forward. I realize that your emotions are still a bit frail with regard to recent events, but I need you to be strong so that we can progress. That being said, the reading of Sirius' will is to take place three days from now in this very room. As the executor of his will, I can tell you now that Sirius mentions you; but, at this time I can reveal nothing further. Since you are named in the will, you will be expected to attend."

Harry's expression had yet again gone sour. It was bad enough that he was gone, but now Sirius was going to make him sit through a reading of his will. This was definitely not something he wished to be present at.

Sensing what was going through Harry's mind, Dumbledore said, "You must be strong, Harry. We need you now more than ever. I need you to be strong. Sirius would most definitely not want you to sulk over him."

As much as he wanted to sit there and slip even further into his grave thoughts, something about the bluntness with which the headmaster speaking to him was intriguing. Again, he felt as if he were being treated as an equal, and with respect. "I know. It's just so hard. But, I think you are right." Something was beginning to awaken inside him. "No, I know you are right. I can be strong. I will be strong. It is what Sirius would want. He was a fighter."

"Yes he was. He was a very brave man. I find it funny that he had such an influence on you, in such a short amount of time. You, much like him, are extremely smart, caring, and strong-willed. What's more evident, though, is the immense amount of bravery you have already exhibited since learning that you are a wizard. He was a brave man; But, I doubt there are many witches or wizards alive that possess as much bravery as you."

Harry could feel the warmth radiating from the man. He didn't even find it difficult to keep eye contact while the man praised him and caused his cheeks to turn slightly red. Harry knew at that very moment that he would never again question Dumbledore's motives.

"So, can I count on you to be present at the reading?" asked the Headmaster.

"Yes, "he replied simply.

"Excellent. Now, we must now discuss your living arrangements for the remainder of the summer. Rather than have you go to the Burrow, I would like you to remain here. I know you would prefer to be with your friends, but I have my reasons, and among them is your safety. This house is much more secure than the Burrow. Your safety is virtually guaranteed while you are here. Now, this brings me to another matter altogether. I would like you to begin training everyday. Only, I would like to keep quiet the fact that you will be preparing yourself. The less people who know, the less of a chance there is that Voldemort will find out." Dumbledore paused for a moment after this last comment. When he continued, Harry immediately recognized the seriousness with which he spoke.

"It is my belief, Harry, that you are destined to be a magnificently powerful wizard. I have felt this since the first time I ever laid eyes on you. I always assumed, though, that you would grow into your destined greatness. I can see now, that you were not meant to travel down that particular path. No, I am afraid that the time has come. With my help, as well as that of a few others, you are going to acquire the knowledge and the know-how to defeat Voldemort, as I believe you are destined to do."

Harry was speechless. He was clueless as to how he should respond. Sure, he knew that in the end, either he or Voldemort would die. Until now, though, Harry had never considered the fact that he might actually be the one to win. He still wasn't confident about such a result, but when he considered Dumbledore's words, he certainly felt a little more hopeful about the whole thing. Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of this age, after all. If he was going to oversee Harry's training, then surely the odds weren't completely in Voldemort's favor. Intrigued by this notion, Harry suddenly felt inclined to speak.

"Sir, how can I beat him?" he asked.

"I would be lying if I told you I knew the answer to that question. What I do know, is that when the time comes that you must face him again, he will be caught completely by surprise. You see, he still does not know what the prophecy contained. He does not know that he marked you as his equal, as the prophecy states. And as you know, he still believes after all of your encounters, that you are no match against him. I assure you, Harry, that the next time you face Voldemort, he will quite shocked at your development."

"Okay, so who knows what I am doing this summer?"

"Myself, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Shacklebolt, Mr. Moody, and Professor McGonagall," he replied.

"What about the Weasleys?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Ah, well, I feel that for the time being, we must keep them in the dark about this. There are several reasons, and among them is their safety. The less they know, for now, the less danger they are in. Also, I'm sure that Molly Weasley would insist upon the family relocating here for the summer, in order to keep you company. I'm sorry, but I wish you to have no distractions while you train."

"Can I at least tell Ron, Hermione, and Ginny?"

"I would prefer you not, at least for now."

This was too much. He couldn't even tell his best friends? He knew that if he wanted to be treated as an adult, though, he needed to act as one. Thus, he decided against arguing, and instead concentrated harder on what his professor was saying.

"But eventually, I can tell them? I mean, they are my best friends. I have to tell them eventually."

"Yes, you can tell them at a later time." He replied. "What other questions do you have?"

Harry never ceased to be surprised by the intuition of Dumbledore. How did he always know what Harry was thinking?

"Well, sir, I was curious about my training. What will I be doing, exactly?" asked Harry.

"First and foremost, your Occlumency lessons will resume." Harry couldn't suppress a frown, which Dumbledore glimpsed, and then added, "This time I will be your teacher, though. I will come by every other evening for your lesson. We will continue with the lessons until you are able to completely block out potential intrusions into your mind."

With that, Harry remembered about his dream. Should he tell Dumbledore about it right now? Before he had the chance to say something, however, the professor continued.

"I am confident that after only a few lessons you will have it mastered. Now, during your days here Mr. Lupin will be putting you through an intense workout, which will include not only advanced defensive spells, but some offensive spells as well. Plus, you will begin a physical workout, which you will quickly discover to be a great help if ever in battle."

"What sort of physical training, sir?" he asked.

"I believe Mr. Lupin will have you jogging every day in order to build your stamina. I'm sure you will also be learning various muggle forms of hand-to-hand combat. We want you to be prepared for any situation." He paused before continuing. This leads me to the next aspect of your training. You will learn to apparate."

"Sir, how am I going to learn to apparate, or even perform magic outside of school? I am still underage."

"You need not worry about that. I have taken care of the legal matters. You are being granted special permission to use magic this summer. As far as your apparition skills...well, we just won't tell anyone yet," said Dumbledore with a bit of a magical grin buried beneath his beard. "As I already told you, I'd rather not many people know about your training for the time being." With this, Dumbledore turned serious yet again.

"I cannot express enough to you how important it is that we keep all of this quiet." He said.

"I understand, sir. You don't need to worry about—"

But Harry was cut off. Dumbledore seemed to feel the need to pound this message into Harry's head. He was now noticeably less calm as he spoke.

"I must apologize. I know I keep talking as if you are the one that might let slip this secret. That is not my intention. You deserve to know the truth. Voldemort has his ways of gathering information, and I would be lying if I told you that our ranks are impenetrable by spies. Unfortunately, we are uncertain as to whether there is someone feeding him information, since he has yet to make a move. We can only assume, however, that eventually he will get to someone and use them against us. Therefore, we must keep certain issues under wraps. The less people who know, the less chance he has of finding out."

"Constant vigilance," Harry muttered to himself.

Dumbledore seemed to quickly regain the slight bit of composure he had lost.

"Alastor has the right idea. He may be slightly extreme at times, but he knows the other side's capabilities. You would do well to listen to him. He will be assisting Remus occasionally with your training. Pay attention and you will learn a great deal."

There was a moment of silence, in which neither spoke. Finally, standing up, Harry looked to the headmaster, "I will professor. I promise. Is that everything?" Harry was beginning to get hungry, and wondered where Lupin was with the tea.

"Actually, Harry, we have one more item on the agenda."

"Oh, okay. What is it, sir?" he asked as he returned to his seat.

"This concerns the Order of the Phoenix. After much deliberation, we have decided to extend you an invitation to join."

Harry was struck hard by this statement. He could not believe his ears. Finally, he was being treated as an equal and not some irresponsible little boy of eight years old. Before Dumbledore could even continue, Harry blurted out the words, "I accept."

Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "I figured as much. But, I must tell you that even though you will become part of the Order, once school begins you will be expected to continue to fulfill your academic obligations. You must not allow any information you learn at a meeting to overtake your mind, and lead you away from your responsibilities as a student."

"I won't professor. I can handle the schoolwork. If I begin to fall behind, I can always have Hermione help me," he said reassuringly.

"Yes, I know. Speaking of Miss Granger, I must also tell you that your friends are not being given the same invitation that you have received."

Harry's heart suddenly halted. He hadn't thought about that. He had just figured that since he was going to join the Order, his friends would be there with him, too.

"But, sir –,"he began.

"I apologize, but it was the general consensus of the members of the Order, that they not be allowed in with you. We are already going against one of our most firm rules by allowing you to join while still underage and in school. However, given the circumstances, one exception can be made."

"I'll just tell them everything anyway. You may as well let them hear it for themselves," he tried.

"Several members figure that will be the case, however, I have a feeling that your stance on this subject may change once you have sat through a meeting. In order to protect the ones you love, sometimes you must keep them in the dark. However, I cannot and will not make you keep the information you hear, to yourself. I will, though, request that you not tell them you have been asked to join the Order, until after your first official meeting as a member. That will be next week sometime, barring anything unexpected."

"I can't even tell them I'm a member?" he asked outraged.

"Again, I will not force any decision upon you. I am simply asking you to at least wait until after you have experienced one of the meetings for yourself."

After thinking this through for a moment, Harry decided that it was a reasonable request.

"Okay. I won't say anything for now. But, I won't change my mind. They are my friends, and they are in this with me. They deserve to know."

"Very Well," he said as he stood. "Now, I must go, for I have some other work in which to attend. I shall return tomorrow night for your first Occlumency lesson of the summer. Goodbye Harry."

"Goodbye professor."

Dumbledore turned, and strode out the door, leaving Harry alone on the couch, with many things to think about. This summer was definitely going to be different, he thought to himself as he leaned back against one of the large pillows.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I promise the next one will be more interesting. Things will actually begin happening. I probably won't be able to post for two or three nights, though. I still have to go through and edit the chapter, and I am going to be swamped with school and work the next couple of days. If I can find some time, though, I will work on getting it finished. Please remember to review! Thanks


	4. The Meadow

A/N: So, I've been sick the last couple of days, and in bed. That is the only reason that this chapter got posted so quick. Otherwise it would have been a couple of more days. But, I had to have something to occupy my time. I guess there is a bright side to every situation.

Thanks for the reviews, though I don't understand why all but one are anonymous. **David**, I know it seems rushed. I just really feel that nothing can, nor will, stand in the way of the special bond shared by Dumbledore and Harry. I honestly feel that a conversation like that is sufficient. This may simply be wishful thinking, though. **Alchemistgin**: I promise Ginny is not _too_ far off. As for when sparks fly between her and the boy-who-lived...I don't quite remember...

CHAPTER 4 – The Meadow

When his meeting with Dumbledore concluded, Harry remained in his seat on the couch in the Drawing room. He sat there for quite some time, playing the previous conversation over and over in his head. He was brought out of his trance-like state when he heard someone clear their throat. He looked up to see Lupin standing in the doorway, with an expression of uncertainty upon his face.

"Is everything okay?" asked Lupin, obviously aware of the conversation that had taken place between Harry and Dumbledore. "Why don't you come down to the kitchen with me? I have some tea ready, and we can talk."

Harry nodded and then rose from his seat. He followed Lupin from the room, and down the stairs. When they passed the covered portrait of Mrs. Black, Harry noticed that they both slowed their pace out of habit, in order to make less noise. When he entered the kitchen, Harry found Kingsley already seated at the table and sipping his tea.

Harry walked over to the table and chose the spot directly across from him.

"Well?" Lupin asked Harry.

"Erm – Well, what?"

Lupin looked to Kingsley, who shook his head. He then turned back and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Well, what do you want to know? I'm sure you have questions that need answering. Since when has Dumbledore ever explained things fully?" Lupin joked.

Harry could see a mixture of excitement and eagerness in the man's eyes. "Well," he started, "I'm not quite sure, actually. It's all a bit overwhelming, really."

"I can imagine it would be. But, you aren't disappointed, are you?" he asked.

"No. Well, not really."

Figuring out what was wrong, Kingsley piped in, "You were hoping your friends would be able to join up with you, weren't you?"

"Er...yes."

"Trust me, Harry," said Lupin more seriously. "If you care about your friends, then don't try to get them more heavily involved than they already are. The less they know, the safer they will be."

"Of course I don't want anything to happen to them. But, you don't understand. They won't just give up. I can beg them to trust me and tell them that nothing is wrong as much as I want, but they still won't listen. They'll figure out what ever secrets I hide from them. So, I figure I may as well save them the trouble, and just keep them informed. At least that way they will be satisfied, and feel like they are helping."

"I understand. You father and Sirius were both the same way," he said in a more resigned voice. "They could always tell if I was hiding something from them. Your mother was the same way. I can't tell you what to do. All I can tell you is to trust Dumbledore."

"So, Potter," said Kingsley, eager to change the subject, "You must, at least, be excited to begin your training. It will be interesting to see how you turn out."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"Well, I'm not sure how much detail Dumbledore went into, but you will be learning some very advanced techniques and spells. Many of them aren't even taught in school, for one reason or another." said Lupin, slightly regaining the eagerness in his voice.

"Yes. Some of them are even too advanced for aurors. We shall see what you are truly made of Potter." said Kingsley.

"When will my training start?"

"Tomorrow morning, bright and early." answered Lupin. "We will begin with the physical aspects and then move on to the other areas in the afternoon. We're going to be sure not to over exert you tomorrow, though."

"Why, professor?" he asked.

"Because your first Occlumency lesson will be in the evening, and as you know, you'll want to have plenty of energy left. The first week or so of your training won't be quite as intense, since you will have lessons with Dumbledore every other night. Plus, we also want to ease you into things. However, sometime next week we will step things up a notch, and the days will be quite grueling," replied Lupin with an evil grin.

"Sounds wonderful," he chortled.

"Oh, and by the way, Harry. There is no longer any need to refer to me as your professor. I haven't been that for over two years now. I may be training you, but there is no need for formality. I am your friend, first and foremost. Please call me Remus or Lupin –"

"Or a dirty werewolf!" Kingsley added with a chuckle. They all laughed. "But you may refer to me as Mr. Shacklebolt, extraordinaire." With this they all burst out into laughter again. Once they had recovered, and were somewhat short of breath, Harry spoke again to Lupin.

"Umm, thank you. I was wondering, though...Would I call you Moony sometimes...Like my father and Sirius did?"

A delicate smile eased on to Lupin's face. "Of course you may. I would be honored." A moment passed. Finally, breaking the silence, Kingsley spoke again.

"Lupin, could you pass me a tissue? I think I may cry." Both Harry and Lupin turned their head towards the bald auror, who had a large smirk on his face, and yet again, burst into fits of laughter.

The door creaked open, and Lupin tip-toed over to where Harry lay asleep in his bed. To Lupin's surprise, Harry had slept silently the entire night. He had placed a spell on the room to alert him if Harry began to have a nightmare, or if anything else went awry. Lupin had not been woken the entire night. He had assumed that Harry would have major problems. Fortunately, he had been wrong. Now, as he hovered over the sleeping boy, Lupin thought about how hard Harry's short life had been. Growing up without your parents, and instead in a terrible home; it is a wonder he turned out so well. And now, as he neared his sixteenth birthday, Harry was about to learn how to survive in battle, as well as how to take a life. The thought that Harry would eventually be faced with the decision of whether to kill or be killed, deeply saddened him. He didn't deserve this life.

Just then, Harry shifted in his sleep. Abandoning his thoughts, Lupin rejoined the present. He slowly pulled out his wand and pointed it at the Boy-who-lived. No matter what lay ahead of him in the future, Harry still had to try and continue to live a semi-normal life. It was this thought that prodded Lupin's mind in a very different direction. Looking down at Harry, he wondered what kind of a note the boy's day should start on. Then, he had his answer, as a grin spread out across his face. He quietly muttered something to himself, and then watched as a stream of cold water shot straight out of the tip of his wand and on to Harry. Immediately, Harry shot straight up, hand clenched to his wand, yelling.

"AHH! Wha da hell isagoinon?!?!"

Lupin stood laughing at the scene, wand now lowered to his side. Harry was visibly shaking and looked furious and confused at the same time.

Harry, who had yet to realize what had happened, noticed the other man laughing. His eyes narrowed in on the wand at Lupin's side, and then shot straight up to meet the eyes of his assailant. "Why did you do that?" he barked.

"It is 6:45...time to wake up. Your training begins in fifteen minutes. You had better hurry up and get dressed if you want to eat anything." With that, he turned and left the room, still smiling.

Harry was left soaked and angry, standing beside his bed. He wasn't sure if he wanted to sprint after the man and beat him to the ground, or start screaming at the top of his lungs. Finally, he snapped out of his rage. Using his wand, he quickly dried himself and his bed off. After changing into some more comfortable clothes, as Lupin had instructed him the previous night to do, Harry made his way don to the kitchen. He found the room empty, with the exception of a glass of juice and some toast and fruit on the table. This definitely helped his mood, as he discovered he was pretty hungry. He sat down and began to eat in peace, and made sure not to waste any of the food. A few minutes later, as he was cramming the last slice of toast into his mouth, Lupin entered the room. Harry turned and gave him a nasty look.

"There was no need to douse me in cold water. All you have to do is say my name a couple of times and I'll wake," He said.

"I know," he replied brazenly.

Finally, a grin began to appear upon Harry's face. "You'll get yours."

Lupin's left eyebrow raised. "Oh?"

"You just wait." said Harry, who had every intention of returning the favor. "Two of my closest friends happen to be the Weasley twins. Wait until they hear about this. You're crazy if you don't think they would be more than happy to aide me in a little retaliation."

"How unfortunate it is that you cannot yet tell them about your living arrangements." Lupin replied, even though the thought of the twins plotting against him had definitely got him thinking.

"Fine. I'll just wait until the right time, when you least expect it. "

"Okay. Whatever you say. Now," said Lupin, his voice becoming all business, "We must get started. Are you ready to begin the next chapter of your life, Harry?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Good. Follow me," he said as he headed out the door and into the hallway. Harry obediently followed. Instead of exiting through the front door, though, Lupin proceeded up the stairs. Slightly bewildered, Harry continued to follow. Finally, upon reaching the top floor, Lupin found a doorway to his liking, and entered. Harry followed, and once inside, realized they were standing in Sirius' room. A lump developed inside Harry's throat. There were still all sorts of items scattered about, as if he had just been there moments before. The bed was unmade, and the desk contained bits of parchment and other random items on its surface. But, before Harry's emotions got the best of him, Lupin spoke.

"Harry, I want to show you something. Please follow me." Then, he walked to the far side of the room. He went straight up to a picture of a grassy meadow that hung on the wall next to what was unmistakably a closet. There was something different about this particular picture, though. There was a Hippogriff in the distance, chasing after a small animal. Only, the Hippogriff looked oddly familiar. When Lupin took out his wand and tapped it on the frame, while muttering an incantation under his breath, Harry realized that he was looking at a picture of Buckbeak. However, once Lupin's spell began to take effect, Harry realized it wasn't a picture at all.

The frame began expand vertically until it was the same length as the door to the closet. Suddenly Harry felt a cool breeze. He watched as Lupin stepped through the opening and onto the grass on the other side. Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Instead, he put his trust in the rest of his body, and walked himself out into the beautiful meadow. He could now see that it was fairly expansive. Turning in a circle, he could see that it stretched as far as his eyes could see in each direction. He had an odd feeling about the place, but his mind was stripped of any further thought, when out of the corner of his eye he saw a large, feathery figure making its way towards him at a rapid pace. Harry turned to see Buckbeak galloping towards him. Somewhat startled by this, Harry took a step back. But, as it got closer, the hippogriff slowed its pace, and finally halted about five meters from him. Remembering what he learned in his third year, Harry bowed. This was immediately returned by the animal, and so Harry walked up and began to pet him affectionately.

"It's good to see you, old friend." Harry said.

"Sirius built this just after you returned to school last Christmas. He thought Buckbeak needed somewhere more spacious to live. You know how he felt about confinement. He figured that Buckbeak didn't deserve to be cooped up inside a house."

Harry had become so enamored with his surroundings and his feathered friend that he had completely forgotten about Lupin, who was still standing by the entrance. He turned to look at the man and could see now that on this side, the entrance was a free-floating picture of the dusty old room that they had just come from.

Noticing what Harry was staring at, Lupin continued, "Everything past this frame is just an illusion." He raised his hand and knocked it against something solid, which was obviously the wall the picture hung on. "You cannot move past it."

Harry noticed that it was similar to the rest of the meadow, except that it contained the only tree in sight.

"Are there any other boundaries that I should know about, so I don't run straight into them and kill myself?" he asked.

"I don't think that you have to worry about going to far in the other directions. I'm not exactly sure where they are, but I know that you won't travel that far. I'm not sure how high the sky goes, either. But, I know I've seen Buckbeak soar around the place. You'll find out though, when it comes time to work on some flying techniques on your broom. We will mainly be working in this general area, though." Lupin indicated the general area in which they were standing. "Buckbeak, come here," he prodded.

The Hippogriff swept away from Harry, without so much as a second glance, and made its way straight to Lupin. It was obvious that these two had gotten to know one another, because Lupin didn't even have to be formal and bow. The animal completely trusted him. Harry wondered if that maybe had something to do with the fact that Lupin was also an animal, essentially. He made a mental note to ask him at a later date.

"Okay, my friend," he said to the animal, "I need you to leave us now, so that we can work without interruption." It was as if Buckbeak understood exactly what he had been told, because he immediately turned and shot up into the sky. Harry watched him rise through the air, and then finally land at a spot that seemed to be at least a half a mile away.

"How did you–" he began, but was cutoff.

"Never mind that now. Your questions can wait. We must get started. Lupin then pointed his wand out at the meadow and uttered a spell which then turned a block of the grass white. Harry didn't understand. But as he stepped forward to investigate further, he realized that the white grass, which was about 5 feet wide, actually extended forward about twenty feet. He looked to Lupin.

"It is a trail. I want you to begin jogging. Once you begin moving on it, it will continue to grow in length. You will only have about a twenty foot notice of where you will be going, though; so make sure you pay attention and you will eventually be led back here. The distance can easily be reset, which I will do almost every day. The first few days, I won't make you go too far. But, eventually, your stamina will begin to increase, and you will find yourself going further. Now, you best get going. I will be here, waiting and preparing some things."

"So, I just start walking?"

"No," Lupin laughed. "You start jogging. Now, go."

With that, Harry slowly turned and started jogging down the path of white grass.

A/N: Well, I'm exhausted. Hope everyone likes the chapter. Please review!!! I'm happy to answer any questions. The rough draft of the next chapter is close to finished. Once that is done, it'll only be a day or so until I have it posted. So, we're probably looking at two to three days, at most. However, the more reviews I get, the more motivated I will be to get it posted. wink wink


	5. An Unexpected Visitor

CHAPTER 5 – The Unexpected Visitor

Harry slumped down to the ground, at the feet of Lupin. Having just finished jogging, he was exhausted and out of breath. Even though he had been told he wouldn't have to go a long distance, he had easily jogged for the better part of an hour.

At one point, he slowed down to a walk in order to catch his breath, but the path was enchanted in a way that forced him to remain at a fairly fast pace. Almost as soon as he began to walk, an alarm sounded, and Harry was sure it was to alert Lupin that he was slacking. The noise was awful, too. Unable to bear it for very long, he instinctively began to jog again, and it immediately stopped. He had looked around to see if Lupin was in sight, but he wasn't.

In fact, Harry didn't catch even a glimpse of the man until he was about a quarter of a mile from being finished. What he saw made him faintly irritated, too. Lupin was sitting in the grass and reading a book, with his back propped up against Buckbeak, who looked to be sleeping. While Harry was using every last ounce of energy to finish his jog, Lupin was relaxing and enjoying himself.

Now that he had finally finished, all Harry wanted to do was lay in the grass for a while, too. Lupin had another idea in mind, though, which he immediately voiced when he saw Harry begin to make himself comfortable on the ground.

"Well, take about five minutes to catch your breath, and then we will get started," he said.

"What do you mean, 'get started?'" Harry asked, confused. "I just finished."

"Harry, that was just a warm up. We haven't even begun your actual training yet," said Lupin rather amused.

"But, I figured since you had me go such a long way, that I was just going to run today."

"I'm sorry to say that you figured wrong. That was not that far of a distance, Harry. That was the easy route you took today. I hope you still have some energy left, because if you don't, then we have a lot more work ahead of us than I anticipated."

Harry sighed audibly. That was the easy road? There was no way he would be able to go further than that, and train afterward. He would surely kill himself. "Well, I'm tired, but I guess I've got a little bit left in me," he said optimistically.

"This is going to require more than just a little bit of effort. You are going to have to give your training every last ounce of energy you have inside your body. Harry, we don't have a great deal of time to get you prepared to face Voldemort." He paused at the look on Harry's face. "Yes, I know about the prophecy. I've known since the first war. Sirius and I briefly considered telling you last year, but Dumbledore made us promise to not say anything. He thought he was doing the right thing, and I must tell you Harry, I agreed with him at the time. We thought by keeping you at Hogwarts under close watch, you would be safe enough until the time came for you to know. We were wrong."

"You and Sirius knew all along?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, your parents told the two of us all those years ago. Even Sirius eventually agreed that you shouldn't have to bear such a weight yet. We wanted you to be able to live as normal a life as possible. But as we have discovered yet again, you are anything but normal. You are an extraordinary young man, and you are going to defeat Voldemort." Lupin was now speaking with a compassion which Harry had not heard since his third year. "I want you to listen to me now. This is your first lesson, and possibly the most important. You must believe in yourself, Harry. You must believe that you possess the power and ability to defeat him. The time has come for you to focus all of your effort on this one thing, and you must believe that the best outcome is the only one possible. You will be victorious. If you are able to truly believe in yourself, then you will rid this world of Voldemort once and for all."

By the time Lupin finished speaking, Harry was standing once again. He felt a surge of energy that originated in his heart, course its way through his body in every direction. Something about the speech he had just listened to had hit home with him. It had nothing to do with the actual words that were spoken. It was what was behind them. Harry felt pure love and confidence emanate from Lupin, who began to speak again.

"Now, are you ready to begin your training?"

"I am. Help me learn what I need to know in order to pay him back for all the pain and suffering he has caused." Harry replied.

Lupin approached Harry and put his hand on his shoulder. "I promise you, as long as I am alive, I will help you in any and every way that I possibly can. Let's get started."

The remainder of the morning was devoted to physical conditioning. As it turned out, Lupin had a vast knowledge of muggle exercises and defense techniques. Harry learned that he would be on a strict regimen every morning. After the warm-up jog, Lupin taught him various exercises and drills, some of which he was already familiar with. He spent some time running one-hundred yard sprints, doing push-ups and pull-ups, as well as a few other cardiovascular exercises. At one point, Lupin transfigured a rock into a practice mat, and they worked on tumbling drills. The entire time, Harry found himself being pushed to the limits of his physical ability. He discovered that some of the activities were actually enjoyable, though. For instance, when they were finished with the tumbling drills, Lupin taught Harry yoga. This proved to be extremely relaxing, and Harry decided he should try and practice yoga before going to sleep, in order to help progress with Occlumency. They spent close to an hour working on various yoga positions before Lupin announced it was time to break for lunch. Harry had been so engrossed in properly absorbing all of the techniques for the various activities, that he didn't realize that it was already one o'clock in the afternoon. He wasn't nearly as tired as he had expected to be, which he attributed to the rejuvenating qualities of the yoga. The fact that he still had any energy at all was very encouraging.

They exited the enchanted picture, and upon re-entering Sirius' room found someone waiting for them. Nymphadora Tonks was leaning against the opposite wall with a smug expression upon her face.

"Tonks!" Harry exclaimed happily as he dashed forward to greet her.

"It's good to see you too, Harry," she joked as they hugged.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, stepping back from her.

"Well, I have to leave my report for Dumbledore. I was up all night working for the Order. It was bloody boring work. I hate having to always—." She stopped, and looked meaningfully at Harry. She then looked Remus' way. "Does he...Can I..."

"Harry has accepted his invitation to join the Order. It is okay to speak freely." He paused before continuing. "On second thought, I'm sure Dumbledore would prefer you not say anything until after the next meeting."

This didn't sit well with Harry. "Why does that matter? Who cares if I haven't been to a meeting yet? I'm in the Order, aren't I?"

"Well, technically you aren't yet. It is hard to explain. You will have to attend the next meeting in order to fully understand," explained Lupin as delicately as possible.

"Harry, its not that we don't trust you," Tonks began.

"Well, then what is it?" He asked irritated.

"Harry, enough. Accept the fact that we can't elaborate right now. In due time, everything will be explained to you. And I mean everything."

"Come on Harry, let's go down stairs and have a spot of lunch," said Tonks nervously.

Rather than insisting on finishing their conversation, Harry complied. "Okay."

"Good, because I'm famished," said Lupin as he put his hand on his stomach. "Buckbeak was beginning to look tasty."

They laughed, and on that note all three departed from the room and made their way to the kitchen. Once there, Lupin conjured some sandwiches and more fruit. They all sat at the table eating contently and talking about everything Harry and Lupin had covered so far.

"You haven't gone over any spells yet?" asked Tonks, even though she already knew the answer.

"No," replied Lupin. "This afternoon we will begin using magic."

"Are you going to stick around for this afternoon's lesson, Tonks?" asked Harry.

"Nah. I wish I could, though. I could teach both of you a thing or two." She replied teasingly. "But, instead I have to go to a departmental meeting at the ministry. I'm so bloody sick of those blasted things. It seems like all I do anymore is go to stupid meetings. We should be out searching, and making our presence known in the community."

"Sounds like Fudge hasn't changed," said Harry.

"He hasn't. He's still the same bloody fool he always has been," she said loathingly.

"Yes, well, he may not be in charge much longer," Lupin added with a sense of hope in his voice.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well, everyone knows that Fudge made all sorts of mistakes last year. The word has gotten out that he was just worried about his political career, and therefore didn't listen to Dumbledore. No one wants a leader who cares more about their own hide than the people they were chosen to represent. There is going to be a hearing next week to determine whether or not to replace him."

"But wouldn't his replacement be Umbridge?" Harry asked, horrified at the thought.

"No, no. She hasn't been seen recently. I heard something about her fleeing the country, but that may just be a rumor. Regardless, she is in just as much trouble as Fudge, if not more. I suspect that no one will hear anything from her anytime soon," said Tonks.

"So who would replace Fudge?" he asked.

Lupin fielded this particular question. "Well, that hasn't been decided yet, since we still don't even know if there will be an opening—"

"Come on Remus. You'd have to be off your rocker to think he's got any chance of keeping his job," interjected Tonks.

"Still though—" he began, but was again cut off.

"Come off it Remus! There's no need to be thick."

"If you'd just let me finish, I—" but again, she didn't allow him the luxury of completing his sentence.

"You'd just spit out a load of bull. Listen, Harry," she said, turning her attention back to him, "Fudge is done. It may not have happened yet, but that is only because there have been so many things to take care of since the night Voldemort came into the open."

"That's essentially what I was going to say." Lupin said half amused.

"Oh, shut it," she said waving him off.

"You still haven't answered my question," Harry said flatly.

"Am I allowed to speak now?" Lupin asked Tonks.

"I'm not your mother. Do as you please," she replied. This made Harry chuckle.

"Thanks, I think. Anyway, Harry, there is a large contingent of people who want Dumbledore to replace him, for obvious reasons."

"You think Dumbledore is going to be the next Minister of Magic?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

"No, I don't think Dumbledore would ever leave Hogwarts for another job. I'm simply telling you that many people wish he would. Chances are, if Fudge steps aside, the vacancy will be filled by an interim-minister for a few months. That would most likely be Madam Bones," stated Lupin.

"I wish she would just take the job permanently," Tonks said, more to herself than to the others.

"Well, if she were to temporarily take over the position as minister, she would always have the option to pursue the position permanently," replied Lupin.

"She would do a better job than Fudge, wouldn't she?" Harry asked.

"I believe so. Madam Bones is a good woman. She's fair, and she understands that it takes a combined effort to get things done. But, as I already said, Fudge is still minister."

"Professor...I mean, Moony. Sorry, it might take me a while to get used to this," Harry said as his cheeks turned ever so slightly pink.

"It's quite all right," he replied.

"Er, anyway, this is slightly off the subject, but what has Percy's role been since everything surfaced?"

Lupin and Tonks exchanged a quick glance before Lupin spoke. "Well, he isn't being held responsible for anything that happened." He paused for a moment before continuing. "But he hasn't exactly left Fudge's side."

"So, he still supports Fudge?" Harry asked, annoyed.

"Yes and no. Percy has always been all about self-promotion. He never really cared about fudge or his agenda. He just wants to be on the fastest lift to the top, if you know what I mean."

"So, he doesn't support Fudge," Harry asked, now slightly confused.

"We don't really know who he supports right now. I think he's just waiting to see what's going to happen to old Fudgie boy before he decides whose rump he wants to worship," said Tonks. "He's like a parasite, the little prat; waiting to find the best suited person to latch onto."

"Umm, so have he and Mr. or Mrs. Weasley spoken yet? Has he apologized to them?" Harry asked, even though he was fairly certain he knew the answer already.

"As far as we know, they have not yet mended their relationship," Lupin said sadly. "I think Percy's pride has already been damaged quite a bit by this whole thing. I'm not sure that he could handle having to openly admit to them that he was wrong. For someone like him, it is just easier to ignore the mistake, than to try and fix it."

"You can't be serious? You're telling me that he's too proud to admit he was wrong, to his own parents?" Harry's temper was rising.

"Unfortunately, yes," Lupin replied.

"That's ridiculous. It was bad enough last year, when he at least thought he was doing the right thing. But now that he knows he was wrong...How can he do that to them?"

"I don't understand it either, Harry," said Lupin.

"I'm surprised you didn't already know," said Tonks.

"Well, Ron didn't say much in his letter, other than the fact that he's been really tired. He also said something about having to go to St. Mungos so they could check for any permanent damage from the brains," said Harry, feeling slightly guilty at the memory from the night at the Department of Mysteries. "That was all he said, though."

"I imagine his parents haven't mentioned anything yet," said Lupin.

This sparked something in Harry's mind, and sent it racing in a different direction. "Hold on. Won't Mr. and Mrs. Weasley know that I'm in the Order?"

This question caught Lupin off guard. "Yes, but what—"

"If they know about me being let in to the Order, then I'm sure Mrs. Weasley is upset, because she thinks I'm too young."

"Well, yes, though I'm—"

"So, there's a good chance that she may slip and mention that I've been asked to join, in front of Ron or Ginny." He knew it as a stretch, but felt as if he had to try.

"Fat chance of that happening," said Tonks. "Molly's not stupid. She knows that it wouldn't help matters at all if those two knew."

"Then she would have to deal with their constant anger at not being allowed to join," added Lupin.

Harry hadn't heard the last couple of things either of them said, though. He had put his face into his hands and was attempting to disentangle his thoughts. More to himself, than to the others, he said, "I don't understand. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley don't know about me staying here, but they do know about me joining the Order?"

"They're two entirely separate issues," said Lupin. Realizing that the man was referring to the comment he had just made, he looked up. "They know about you joining the Order, because they are also members. They were present when the decision was made that you be allowed to join," supplied Lupin calmly.

"I imagine they were completely against the idea," he said sourly.

"Actually, Arthur stood up for you, which I need not tell you angered his wife even more."

"He thought it was a good idea?" Harry asked in astonishment.

"Of course, Harry. He, like the majority of the members, realizes that you are at the very center of this thing," said Lupin.

"You should have seen Fred and George," Tonks laughed.

"What'd they do?" he asked.

"When we voted, George used the silencing spell on Snape, while Fred used a charm on him that caused both of his arms to shoot straight up into the air. It was bloody brilliant. His vote for you counted, too. Everybody just assumed that he was enthusiastic," she said, relishing the memory.

"What did Snape do afterward?"

"I don't think he even knew for sure that it was Fred and George. They were pointing their wands under the table. I only know, because I jokingly mentioned the idea to them before the vote. I had no idea they'd actually try it," said Tonks.

Harry snorted. "Yeah, like Fred and George wouldn't seize the opportunity to have fun at Snape's expense."

"I guess your right. Anyway, he couldn't do anything about it. The vote was over. He left in a silent rage as soon as the meeting ended," she said.

"I'll have to remember to thank them. Hey, I bet they tell Ron and Ginny," Harry said, sure of himself.

"You just don't give up do you?" Tonks asked.

"No, I don't." he said, determined not to break eye contact.

"They won't say anything, Harry. There are some things more important than being popular," said Lupin.

"Of course they'll say something. It's Fred and George," He argued.

Knowing that Lupin would thank her later for taking Harry's attention away from the current subject, Tonks rose from her seat. "Well I had better get to the Ministry."

"What?" Harry asked, obviously unprepared for that particular comment.

"You know, the place where I work," she said with a touch of sass in her voice.

Catching on, Lupin also stood. He looked at his watch and said, "Yes, we should probably get back upstairs too. We've got a full workload this afternoon."

"Well, it was good to see you Harry," she said. I'll be back by in a couple of days."

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll see you later." He responded.

"Bye Remus," she said, making her way to the door.

"Wait, Tonks. Your report," said Lupin.

"Blimey. I nearly forgot. Here, could you give it to Dumbledore for me?" she asked as she pulled out a piece of folded up parchment from one of her pockets, and handed it to Lupin.

"Sure. Don't worry, I'll give it to him this evening when he's here for Harry's lesson."

"Great. I appreciate it. See you later, boys," she said, as she left through the door.

About three seconds later, however, there was a loud crashing noise in the hallway, followed immediately by a scream of anger. "Blasted coat rack! It's always in the way!" Tonks yelled. However, she was quickly drowned out by the familiar screams of Mrs. Black's portrait. Harry and Lupin looked at one another, and laughed.

"FILTHY BLOOD TRAITOR IN MY HOUSE..." she bellowed as loud as possible.

Shaking his head, Lupin said, "I'll take care of it. It'll only take a minute. Why don't you just sit back down, and I'll be right back." He then dashed from the room, wand in hand.

A/N: Even though they were only mentioned here, I had a great time writing a "Fred and George story." It made me eager to use them more. I have a feeling they may show up a couple of chapters down the road. I know for sure they will not be in the next one; however there will be the first appearance of a certain someone who is vital to this Uhh, this cold is hell. Anyway, please be sure to read and review, because it is really disappointing to not get more than one or two reviews per chapter. I beg you, if you read this story, please let me know, by reviewing...regardless of your opinion. Thanks!

A/N 2: This doesn't have a whole lot to do with my story, but I was just sitting here thinking about the next book, and then I started thinking about the connection that Rowling said there will be with the second book. She said that something small that took place in Chamber of Secrets will have more significance in HBP. Does anyone else think that it may have something to do with Filch and the whole squib thing? Are there any other theories out there?


	6. Letters

A/N: Well, the last few weeks have been insane. Between the multiple papers due, the three midterm exams, the extra hours at work, and a trip to visit family in Texas over Fall Break (that part wasn't all that bad, though it still accounts for a few days of not being able to write), I didn't have a whole lot of free time. But, when I had any free time at all, I used it to write this chapter. Actually, it probably would have been out a few days earlier if I had a beta reader. Anyway, here you go...

CHAPTER 6 - Letters

Their break lasted approximately an hour, and as they ascended the stairs towards Sirius' room, Harry realized he was eager to continue working. The prospect of actually learning spell work and tactics that might save his or one of his friends' lives was encouraging.

He followed Lupin silently the entire way to Sirius' room. Neither said a word, in fact, until they were through the picture frame and standing in the meadow.

"So, what now?" Harry asked.

"Well, as you already know, our afternoons will be dedicated to magic. Today we will focus on just one thing: teaching you to apparate. Since you cannot apparate inside Grimmauld Place from the outside, and vice versa, you will learn by transporting yourself to and from various locations within the house," said Lupin.

"So, I can't apparate from here to the Leaky Cauldron or from there to here, but I can move from Sirius' room to the kitchen?" Harry asked.

"Exactly. See, several of the wards in place around this house are there to keep unwanted people from just showing up. But, the wards don't prohibit you from moving as you like within the house," Lupin said with pride in his voice.

"You know, I always knew that you couldn't just apparate here from somewhere else, but I never really thought about it. I mean, Fred and George apparate all over this house, yet it hasn't ever struck me as that big of a deal," said Harry.

"Yes, they discovered the loophole almost immediately. Those two are very clever wizards; much more so than they appear to be," Lupin said proudly. "Now, let's get down to business. The theory behind apparation is probably the best place to begin. When standing in one location, the witch or wizard concentrates their mind solely on an alternate location. The destination must be a fairly familiar one, at the very least. Otherwise, there could be complications."

"Complications?" Harry asked.

"Yes. The result could be as minor as arriving at the wrong destination, or as major as splinching one's self," said Lupin with a shudder. "The latter is a nasty result, and is reason enough to always fully concentrate when relocating by this method."

"Okay, so I just think about the place I want to go, and I go there? I'm surprised I haven't accidentally done this before," said Harry.

"Well, there is a bit more to it. Theoretically, concentration is the key, though. Remember to close your eyes, too. This will help you to concentrate. Now, I will demonstrate."

Lupin walked about twenty feet from where Harry stood, and using his wand, painted a bright-orange circle with a radius of approximately five feet in the grass. He then strode back towards Harry, slipped his wand back into his robes, and then spoke. "That is the destination. Watch me carefully." The man then closed his eyes, and two seconds later there were two loud pops, as he disappeared from before Harry's eyes, and reappeared in the middle of the circle. "Keep in mind, I have been doing this for a very long time, and that this was a very short distance. Also, you and I are the only people here."

"What does that matter?" asked Harry.

"Well, you must be careful not to apparate into another person. The result is much like splinching, but far worse. Not only are you harming yourself, but another person as well. That is why it is not always a good idea to apparate into a large crowd," said Lupin as he walked back towards Harry. "Now, are you ready to try?"

"Erm, sure." He half lied.

Sensing the apprehension in Harry's voice, Lupin added, "Don't worry. You'll be fine. Just concentrate on the circle. Stare at it for as long as you need to, and once you have the image embedded in your mind, close your eyes. Continue to concentrate on the vivid image, and then simply tell yourself that you want to be there, in that circle.

Harry nodded, "Okay." He swept his eyes from Lupin and directed them towards the circle in the grass. He focused every ounce of his attention on the circle, as he had been instructed. When he felt comfortable enough, he shut his eyes. He still had the image glowing in his mind, as Lupin said would happen. _Okay_, he thought to himself, _I want to be in that circle._ Suddenly, he felt a faint jerk within his body. This was immediately followed by the sound of Lupin's voice.

"Excellent, Harry."

"What do you mean? I haven't done anything yet," he said, somewhat perturbed.

"Why don't you open your eyes, and reassess your situation," said the man.

Forgetting that his eyes were still closed, he did as he was told and opened them. He first spotted Lupin, who was standing in the same spot he had been, which was currently about twenty feet away. Without thinking, Harry's eyes flew to his feet. He was standing on the actual line of the circle. He had done it. He had just apparated.

"Now before you get upset at not having landed in the middle of the circle, I want you to know that no one ever goes exactly where they want to on their first try. In fact, usually people end up much further from their target than you did. I ended up two doors down on my first attempt," he laughed. "The fact that you are standing on the line is very impressive."

"Thanks," Harry responded.

"You're welcome. Now, tell me what you saw as you were arriving at your destination."

"What do you mean? I saw the circle, but I didn't even know that I had moved yet."

"Well, there is more to this process than just thinking about the location. We must now work specifically on the arrival aspect of the journey. Tell me, did you feel a slight jerk in your body at first?" asked Lupin.

"Yeah, it was kind of like with a portkey, but not as significant."

"Okay, good," Lupin said. He then pulled his wand back out, and proceeded to paint another circle on the grass directly beside him. "This time I want you to apparate to this circle. As soon as you feel the jerk, I want you to expand your concentration to include the area surrounding the circle. In this instance, you should take notice of my presence. You will continue to move toward the circle, but at the same time make sure to avoid me. This exercise will help you to get used to apparating into places full of people."

"Okay, so I just need to be aware of you standing on that side of the circle?" Harry asked.

"Precisely. Go ahead now."

Harry nodded and lowered his eyes to the newly created circle in the grass beside Lupin. He again focused his mind solely upon the circle and the space within it's boundaries. Once satisfied with his level of concentration, Harry closed his eyes, and he could still see the circle in his mind. Again he thought to himself, _I want to be in that circle_. He immediately felt the jerk inside his body. This time, however, Harry distinctly noticed a figure beside the circle, and told himself that he didn't want to get too close. For some reason, this time Harry realized that he had arrived at his destination. Somehow the entire process felt like it had been in slow-motion. On his first attempt, he just remembered the circle, and then the slight jerk. This time, however, he actually saw himself traveling. This thought brought him back to the present. He opened his eyes and looked down. He was standing in the center of the circle. When he looked up he saw that Lupin had a rather large smile upon his face.

"It was different this time. I could see myself moving. It was incredible," said Harry excitedly.

"Do tell," the man responded, still smiling.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent practicing the art of apparation. By the time they concluded the day's lesson, Harry had nearly perfected the mode of travel. He had moved short and long distances. He had appeared in desolate areas, as well as designated spots that Lupin had strewn various items about. He had even gotten to the point where he could set his feet down on the exact spot where he was told to land. The best part of it all, though, is that Harry enjoyed every moment. This was by far his favorite way to travel. He loved the idea of not having to travel by floo nearly as often, since it was not the most comfortable of methods by which to travel.

As they exited through the picture frame, Harry and Lupin were discussing the subject of when Harry would be able to apparate outside of Grimmauld Place.

"Maybe we could just go out the front door, and then immediately apparate to the Leaky Cauldron or something," he suggested eagerly.

"I'm not sure about that. I'll talk to Professor Dumbledore and see what he thinks."

"Well, I mean, I need to try it out sometime, don't I? We know that I can do it in here, but maybe it will be different for me in the real world," he said.

"I doubt there will be much difference, but I will talk to Dumbledore. I promise," said Lupin. "Speaking of which, you need to go wash up and relax for a little while. Your Occlumency lesson will be in just over an hour. Do you have enough energy?"

"I think I'll be okay," he responded, knowing full well that any other answer would earn him a lecture about how he needed to put forth more effort. Interestingly enough, though, he really did have some energy left. He was tired, of course, but he was nowhere near as exhausted as he had expected himself to be.

"Good. Now go clean up and I will come get you when Dumbledore arrives," he said as they exited Sirius' room.

Harry spent what felt like an eternity in the shower, letting the almost scalding hot water pour onto his neck, and work its way down his back. He used the time to not only relax his body, but his mind as well. When he stepped out of the shower, he was completely refreshed. He quickly dressed and headed down to the drawing room, figuring he'd just lay on the couch until the headmaster arrived.

As it was, Harry didn't have to wait very long. Moments after entering into the room, the other man arrived.

"Good Evening, Harry," said Dumbledore heartily.

"Hello, Professor," he replied, as he drew himself up from his sprawled position on the couch.

"Is your mind relaxed?" the elder man asked.

Confident in his answer, Harry replied, "Yes, I'm ready sir."

"Very well. If you are ready, let us begin," he said, drawing his wand from within his robes.

Diving right into the lesson, Harry felt the prodding into his mind continuously for over an hour. Professor Dumbledore was different than Snape, though. Rather than yell at Harry for allowing him to break down the mental barriers he attempted to set, Dumbledore made suggestions as to how he should improve. They actually spent more time focusing on exercises that Harry could do in his spare time in order to prepare himself mentally. Overall, he felt much better about how the lesson had gone, than he ever had after finishing with Snape. This was not to say that he hadn't exhausted every ounce of energy in him, though. The work itself had been every bit as tiring as it had been with Snape. The difference, however, was the fact that after his lessons with Snape, Harry was tired, angry, and no closer to mastering the subject. After saying goodbye to Dumbledore this evening, Harry felt tired, yet confident that he was slowly but surely advancing towards his goal.

He currently sat at the table in the kitchen, staring at a full plate of food directly in front of him. He truly was worn out. He had been sitting there for at least ten minutes, and had only managed to take a few bites. Lupin, who had prepared the food, took notice from his seat across the table.

"It isn't that bad, is it?" he joked.

Harry continued to stare off into space, his mind absolutely void of any thoughts.

"Harry?" Lupin tried again.

Finally realizing that the far off voice he heard was speaking to him, Harry snapped back into reality and tilted his head upward, away from his plate.

"Huh?" he asked unaware of what had just been said to him.

"I was just wondering if I should forget about ever cooking a meal again," he said, still smiling.

"Er...huh?" Harry asked, utterly confused.

"Eat," laughed Lupin, indicating Harry's plate. "As awful as it may look, it's full of nutrition."

"Oh, sorry. I'm just tired," he said, while at the same time spearing a potato and raising it to his mouth.

"There isn't any need to apologize. I understand you are tired. Just remember, that you have to remain healthy, and in order to do so you must eat."

"Alright," he replied, sighing.

"Now, I'll let you off the hook this evening. Go on upstairs and get some rest. I'll be waking you up bright and early tomorrow morning."

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He dropped his fork, and raised from his seat at the table. "See you in the morning," he said as he turned and headed out the door.

When he entered his bedroom, Harry was greeted by the sound of multiple owls fluttering about and hooting. Seated next to Hedwig on top of the dresser was Errol, the aging family owl of the Weasleys, while Ron's small owl, Pig, was streaking across the room. A smile appeared on Harry's face as both of the new arrivals slowly flew down and landed upon his bed, each stretching its leg out so that their letter would be the first removed. Harry relieved them both, and softly stroked Errol's feathers, while Pig resumed his flying around the room. Rather than taking off immediately, Errol remained in his current spot, eyeing Harry closely.

Harry turned his attention first to the letter delivered by the old bird. He immediately recognized Ginny's penmanship. Figuring he would read Ron's later, he tore open the envelope containing the letter from Ginny.

__

_Dear Harry _

_Hey! How is life with the muggles? Have you lost your mind yet? I sure feel like I may lose mine. Mum won't let me out of her sight. It's as if she thinks I'm going to run off at the first opportunity. Her hunch is right, though. If I had anywhere to go, I would. I can't stand it here. Normally, I at least have Ron around to help pass the time, but he's been spending a lot of time in his room since we got home. What is it with you guys and hiding from everybody? Just kidding. Anyway, he only comes out to eat and to use the fireplace (Hermione had her parent's fireplace added to the floo network and she has been calling on him daily). Sure, he'll talk to her, but not to his own sister. He's such a prat. Dad told me not to bother him about it, though. He said that the Unspeakables told him that he would probably want to keep to himself for a couple of weeks, because of the confusing effect that the brains had on him. Still, I'm a little worried. Maybe, if it isn't too much to ask, you could help put my mind at ease. I just saw him send a letter off with Pig to you; could you just let me know how he sounds? I just want to know if there is any way that I can help him. Well, mum is calling me, so I should probably make my way downstairs now. I hope everything is okay with you. Please let me know, Harry, if you aren't okay. _

_Ginny_

_P.S. You better write me back as soon as you get this letter. I told Errol not to leave until you had a letter for him to return. Don't disappoint me._

Harry stared blankly at the letter. Eventually, a grin began to spread across his face. Turning towards Errol, Harry said, "So that's why you're still here."

The owl gave a mild hoot as a response. Not wanting to face the wrath of Ginny any time soon, Harry figured he should probably read Ron's letter and then write her back before going to bed. He didn't mind helping her out, especially if she were just concerned for Ron. Though, the way it sounded, Hermione was already taking care of the situation. Setting Ginny's letter on the bed beside him, he picked up Ron's letter and opened it. What Harry read surprised him, to say the least.

__

_Harry,_

_I need your advice on something. Since the night at the ministry, I haven't really felt like being around anyone. Mum and Dad told everyone to leave me alone, and even Ginny hasn't bothered me much. The thing is Hermione refuses to just let me deal with everything going through my head on my own. When I didn't answer her first owl the day after we got home, she sent one to mum asking if someone could pick her up and bring her to the burrow for the afternoon. When she got here, she burst into my room and started lecturing me about all sorts of things. She said stuff like 'You need to talk to me Ronald. I know what you're going through and I can help.' Now don't get mad, but she even said that I was acting like you did last year. All I did was not answer one stupid owl. She finally left a few hours later, but she made me promise to talk to her everyday. Harry, she had her house connected to the floo network! So, everyday I have to go down to the fireplace and talk to her, or else she'll come and yell at me some more. That's the thing, though. I really am fine. There's no need for anyone to be concerned. I'm just a little bit confused from time to time, with random thoughts popping in my head. Other than that, I'm okay. The strange thing is that I can't bring myself to tell Hermione, because...because...I swear, if you tell Fred and George this, I will make you pay. I don't want to tell her, because I like seeing and talking to her everyday. I don't know what to do about it. It's Hermione! I would talk to Ginny, but I just can't. This is really frustrating. I'd tell you to write me back, but since I'm going to see you in two days, we can talk then. I'm going to go now, cause its time to eat. I'll see you at the reading of the will._

_Ron_

_P.S. Please don't tell anyone about this...especially Hermione._

Harry stared in disbelief at the letter. Ron sounded so...so mature, yet clueless at the same time. The clueless part was normal; the mature side was definitely not. And why would Ron ask Harry about something like this? Since when had Harry known anything about this subject? He felt grateful that he didn't have to write Ron back, since he would see him in two days. Harry's eyes suddenly darted to the end of the letter. He just realized that Ron had said they would see one another at the reading of Sirius' will. He wasn't crazy. Ron had written that he would be there. This put him in a much better mood. His best friend would be with him during the whole thing.

He stood and walked over to his trunk to retrieve a quill and some parchment. Using the top surface of the trunk to write on, Harry sat and composed a brief response to Ginny.

__

_Dear Ginny,_

_I am fine. Don't worry about me. I'm sorry to hear about your summer, though. I wish I could do more to help. Ron will come around. Don't worry about him. Speaking of, he said in his letter that he would be at Sirius' will reading. Are you coming too? Well, I'm really tired, so I guess I will maybe see you in a couple of days. _

_Harry_

Knowing that his evasion tactics in regards to the content of his letter would probably just anger Ginny, Harry couldn't help but chuckle as he sealed the envelope. For some reason, he felt that this would almost guarantee him another letter, which for some odd reason was what he really wanted.

"Here you go, Errol," he said as he tied the envelope to the owl's outstretched leg. "This is for Ginny."

The owl blinked at Harry before turning to the room at large and giving a loud hoot. This was obviously Errol's way of gaining Pig's attention, because the small bird headed straight over. A moment later, they were both headed home to the burrow, and Harry found he was quite ready to get some sleep. No more than ten minutes later, he lay asleep on top of the blankets on his bed, still fully-clothed.

A/N: Just so you know, the next chapter is written, and chapter 8 is partially written. On top of that, I have a detailed outline through chapter 13, and a rough outline for the rest of the story. Basically, what I am saying is that it won't take me too long to post again. Also, please R & R, as always. Thanks.


	7. Purple, Red, Green, and Black

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I love knowing that there are at least a few people out there reading this fic. I know I said that this chapter would be posted quick, but there was a small problem. I have this personal rule. I edit each chapter one time before posting. Before I edit a chapter, though, the rough draft of the following chapter must be written, as well as at least the first 500 words of the chapter after that. I know that sounds a bit ridiculous, but it is just the way I like to work. I guess I do it so that I don't write myself in to a corner by accident. Anyway, chapter 8 ended up being my longest chapter yet, and when I began writing 9, I ended up going until there were 1200 words. I got caught up in the moment, I guess. That's my excuse. I hope it's acceptable. Enjoy this one.

CHAPTER 7 – Purple, Red, Green, and Black

Harry was abruptly awakened from his peaceful sleep early the next morning by a sharp peck on his cheek. Instinctively, he jumped from his bed, wand drawn, and surveyed the room for his attacker. Much like the previous morning, Harry was in a bit of shock from the unexpected awakening. But this time he wasn't woken by Lupin. His assailant was none other than Pig, Ron's owl. It took Harry a moment to register this fact. As he stared at the tiny fuzzy shape flying back and forth in front of him, his mind drifted to the previous evening. He swore that Pig had left with Errol. His sanity was quickly confirmed when he noticed another letter dangling from Pig's leg.

"Come 'ere, Pig," he said a little too sharply, as he reached down to the bedside table for his glasses. The room came in focus just in time for him to see the owl zooming straight for him, obviously unaffected by Harry's early morning rudeness.

When he finally had the letter extracted from the envelope, he sat back on his bed and began to read. This was not another note from Ron. This was from Ginny, and he quickly realized she wasn't overly pleased with his letter the previous night.

_Dear Harry,_

_I'll be at the reading. Hermione, Fred, and George are coming too. You didn't really answer my question about Ron. I expect you will tell me something when I see you. If you don't, I'm going to use a new curse on you that I learned from George. I'm not kidding, either. Have a lovely day._

_Ginny_

Sighing, Harry lowered the letter. He didn't really want to have to deal with this. Ron had practically begged him in his letter to not tell anyone. On the other hand, Ginny...well, Ginny was persuasive. Not really wanting to think about it at the present time, he placed the letter on the bedside table, while simultaneously glancing at his watch. It was almost time for him to wake-up anyway. This roused a thought in Harry's mind. Lupin would be coming to wake him at any moment. Harry quickly removed his glasses and set them on the table again. He then climbed back underneath the blankets on the bed, wand still clutched in his hand. This would be the perfect opportunity for revenge from the previous morning.

As he expected, the door to the room creaked open a few minutes later. Harry listened carefully as the footsteps gradually neared the bed. He waited patiently, not wanting to act prematurely. With his eyes still shut, Harry waited until he could stand it no longer, and slowly eased his wand out from underneath the side of the blanket furthest from the approaching man. Then, in one fast, fluid motion, he struck. Unfortunately for him, though, Lupin had noticed the slightly heavier than normal breathing coming from underneath the blankets. Lupin had been prepared.

"Conchyliatus Ornatus!" screamed Harry, wand stretched towards Lupin.

"Protego," he supplied instantly.

Harry's spell practically bounced off of Lupin, and headed right back to him, striking him just above his elbow on his wand arm. Horror covered his face as he realized what he had just been hit with. Desperate not to allow Lupin to see the effects of the spell, he scrambled to cover himself completely with the blankets. He held them with a death grip against himself, as he futilely willed himself to sink further into the mattress, his face growing redder by the second.

Grinning, Lupin said, "Harry, is something wrong? It is time to get up, you know," he said. His grin was getting devilishly long. "You can't stay in bed all day." With that, he pointed his wand at the boy and proclaimed loudly, "Abripio!"

The sheets flew off of the bed and to the floor, exposing Harry in a most embarrassing state. He lay, eyes clinched shut, wearing a long, bright purple dress, rather than his night clothes. Lupin burst into laughter the second he saw the result of the spell.

"That looks very lovely on you, Harry. But, I'm not sure it's your color," he managed through his laughter.

Still unable to open his eyes out of fear, he merely grumbled, "Shut up."

"Oh, come now. I was only kidding. The color actually matches your eyes quite nicely. Though, I can't be sure, since you won't open them," Lupin joked. "Seriously, Harry, open your eyes. This isn't that big of a deal. Just go change, and I'll be waiting downstairs in the kitchen for you." When there was no response from Harry, Lupin walked to the door. As he left, he said one last thing. "Hurry up. Be down there in five minutes." The door shut behind him, and Harry opened his eyes.

"What am I going to do?" he groaned to himself, as he eased his way out of the bed and made his way to his trunk.

Five minutes later, Lupin sat alone at the kitchen table, sipping his tea, when the kitchen door opened and in trudged Harry.

"Well, good to see you up and around. That's an interesting outfit you've chosen to practice in, though," said Lupin, when he noticed that Harry was still wearing the purple dress. "You might have some difficulty jogging in that," he joked.

Harry ignored his verbal jab and silently made his way over to the table, where he sat and poured himself a cup of tea. He tried his best to keep his eyes averted from Lupin.

"So, how long until the dress will change back into you normal clothes?" Lupin finally asked.

Grudgingly, Harry responded, "I'm not sure, but I think it'll be a few hours. It could be longer, though."

"Well, that's a relief. It isn't proper to wear anything but black to a will reading. We wouldn't want your choice of attire to disrupt tomorrow's affair," Lupin said, holding back a grin.

This sparked Harry's memory. He chose to ignore the joke that had just been made at his expense, and instead focused his train of thought on the questions that had been lingering in his head since the previous evening.

"Why didn't you tell me that my friends were coming?" he asked just before taking a bite out of his toast.

"Oh, I don't know," Lupin answered, surprised by the question. "I guess it just didn't cross my mind. How did you find out?"

"Ron wrote me last night. He mentioned it. And Ginny told me that she, Fred, George, and Hermione were coming too."

Lupin smiled at this for a moment before continuing. "Yes, I suppose they will be here. I believe there will be two or three other people in attendance as well."

"How long will they be staying?" Harry asked.

"Well, just the afternoon. Now remember, as far as they know, you'll just be here for the afternoon, too. You agreed to not tell them anything yet."

"I know, I know. I won't say anything." He replied.

"I was just making sure. Well, finish up now. We should probably head upstairs soon."

A look of horror spread across Harry's face. "What do you mean?"

"We've got a long day ahead of us, starting with your warm-up jog."

"But...I can't. At least, not until this spell wears off."

"Nonsense. You'll be fine. Maybe a little uncomfortable, but you'll get used to it. I wouldn't worry."

"You can't be serious. I'm not going to jog in this; no way."

"You should have considered the consequences when you cast the spell. It isn't my fault. Besides, no one will see you, and it'll only last a few hours. You said so yourself."

"It wasn't supposed to hit me!"

"Next time you should try to be more stealthily then. And luckily for you, the best way to improve such a trait is through training. Now, come on."

"No way. You can't make me. I'll go up when the spell wears off."

"I can't make you?"

"No."

"We'll see about that."

Five minutes later, Harry's limp form dropped on to the soft grass in the meadow. A second later, Lupin released him from the spell he had cast on him in the kitchen, with a satisfied expression upon his face.

"Now, would you like me to enchant your legs so that they run automatically, or are you going to be a good little boy, and start running?" asked the amused man.

He held his hands up in defense. "No, no. I'll do it on my own."

"Splendid. Look on the bright side. As dreadful of a match as they are with your dress, at least you have your tennis shoes," he snorted through laughter.

"Shove off," he said.

"No, I think I'll lay here and read." He then pointed to a spot a few feet beyond Harry, where the start to the path lay painted on the grass. "You go ahead and...shove off." With that, he lowered himself delicately to the ground.

"Can I at least have my wand back?" he snapped.

"It'll be here when you are done. Go on now."

Harry cursed under his breath, and then turned and walked to the starting point. "I can't believe this," he said as he began to jog along the path.

When he was just out of earshot, Lupin laughed to himself. "Neither can I."

The day sped along, and before Harry knew it, he was climbing exhaustedly into his bed, fully prepared to sleep through a tropical storm. The training session had been quite engaging, really. After his warm-up jog in the morning, which concluded when Lupin apparated right beside Harry on the path, and took a photograph of him in the dress. Rather than shrug this action off, Harry diverted from the path, and chased after him. The hunt went on for a good five minutes, with the alarm from him being off of the path sounding the entire time. Finally, Harry reached the man and tackled him to the ground. Unfortunately, Lupin had drawn his wand first and Harry was forced to back down.

One good thing did happen for Harry, though. Once Lupin turned the alarm off, he didn't make Harry continue along the path. Instead, they spent the next hour or so apparating around the meadow. After that, they spent the rest of the morning doing the muggle exercises and such.

The afternoon had been spent as a refresher course for Harry. They pretty much reviewed all of the spells that he taught the D.A. There wasn't much of a need to spend a great deal of time working on any of them, as his technique was flawless. Every time he cast one of the spells it turned out perfect. Lupin found the display quite impressive, and was glad to see that Harry's aim was impeccable as well. After a short meal, they retired to the drawing room, where they sat and chatted casually about random subjects. It wasn't long before they called it an evening, and both headed towards their own rooms. Lupin still wanted Harry to get a short physical workout in before everyone arrived around midday, and he wanted him to still get a proper night's rest.

Now, as he lay motionless in his bed, sleep closing in on him, Harry thought about what sort of a difference his training would really make. Could all this really prepare him to face the self-proclaimed greatest wizard to ever live? He, a teenager, was supposed to stand a chance against someone with much more experience and knowledge? Someone who doesn't believe in playing by the rules, and will take any measure to achieve his goals? All of Harry's thoughts over the next few minutes centered on this subject, and as he finally drifted into sleep, the last thing to cross his mind was one hazy image. Though the picture was a bit fuzzy, and more like a collage, the colors were distinct. There was an auburn color surrounded by a layer of black, and beyond that there was only green. This was immediately replaced by only black, because sleep overtook him.

A/N: I know this was fairly short, and there wasn't a whole lot to it, but keep in mind that there are subtle hints throughout this entire story that point towards the end...I shall say no more.....

Except that, in case that wasn't enough to satisfy you, then remember what I said way up above. The next chapter is going to be the longest yet.

Oh, and by the way, my new calculations show that this story will be much longer than I originally anticipated. I'm guessing that it will be between 120,000 and 150,000 words. Hell, I'm still at the beginning of the summer.

Please, oh please, read and review! My heart leaps every time I see that someone has taken the time to review this story. Thanks!


	8. Saying Goodbye

A/N: Originally, I planned to have this chapter out only a day r two after the last one. However, things never go as planned. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. As always, it is nice to know that people enjoy my work.

I'd like to take this time to encourage everyone to check out the C2 community that I belong to, because there are some great fics archived. Also, I definitely want to recommend those on my favorites list. These are some of the best fics out there, and for those of you who love Harry/Ginny stories, the majority of them include that ship.

Speaking of Ginny...well, I'm not going to say anything...

CHAPTER 8 – Saying Goodbye

A thick stream of water, nearly scalding hot, ran the length of his neck and on down his bare back, causing the skin to flush and to look rather raw. The feeling was soothing, however, and Harry found immense pleasure in letting the water act as a relaxant. He had been standing underneath the stream like this for almost fifteen minutes when he finally turned it off. Upon entering his bedroom, wrapped only in a towel, he felt a resurgence of energy. Hot showers often had this effect on him, and he was glad to have been allowed enough time after the morning's physical training session to simply stand under the water and let his problems flow away down the drain. He felt as ready as he possibly could be, to face what he had been truly dreading all morning; the reading would begin soon. As he began to dress, there was a knock on the door.

"Hold on. I'm almost dressed," he said as he pulled his plain black t-shirt over his damp head. "Okay. Come on in."

The door slowly opened, and Lupin took a few steps forward. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just said so, and as you can see..." Harry gestured to himself.

"That isn't what I asked. I meant, are you ready for, you know...the reading?"

"Oh," he glanced towards his feet. "Yeah, I guess. About as ready as I can be, anyway," he replied glumly.

"I understand how you feel." He paused, and then with true sincerity in his voice, continued, "You know, I will be right there with you. If you need anything, or if you –"

Looking up, Harry cut him off, "I know. Thank you."

"You are very welcome." They both stood rooted to their current spots, not speaking for a moment and glancing everywhere but at one another, until Lupin finally broke the slightly awkward silence. "So, we should hide your things, just in case."

"Huh?" he asked, confused.

"Your things, we should hide them," Lupin repeated.

"What do you mean, hide them?" he asked, curious as to where, how, or why they would hide his trunk and other items.

"Well, in case anyone comes in here today, we should do something about them. The easiest thing would probably just be to move them," said Lupin.

"Could we just take them into your room?" asked Harry.

"Umm, well, we could. But, I think we should be extra careful. I'll tell you what. You go on downstairs and wait in the kitchen. People should be arriving any minute now, so you can be there to greet everyone." After thinking about this for a second, he added, "Just tell them you arrived about thirty minutes ago."

"I know, I know. We've been over this. What are you going to do with my stuff?" he asked.

"I was about to get to that part. While you are downstairs, I will take everything up to Sirius' room, and to be safe, put them in the meadow. And don't worry, Buckbeak won't mess with anything. Plus, it will give Hedwig a chance to stretch her wings."

"I hadn't thought about that. She'll love it."

"Splendid. Now, why don't you go on down and wait. I'll be down in a few minutes," he said as he stepped aside so that Harry could exit from the room.

"Right, then, see you down there," he said as he stepped into the hallway and descended the stairs.

His wait in the kitchen was brief. In fact, no more than a minute passed before the door swung open and he was greeted by a smiling Tonks.

"Heya Harry," she said. Before he could respond though, she stepped aside to reveal another woman standing in the door way. "This is me mum, Andromeda," she said motioning to the older version of herself.

Harry smiled, and again was about to speak, when he was beaten to the punch. "Harry, how nice to meet you," said Andromeda, stepping forward with her hands outstretched.

He stood, and made to grasp her hand, but was instead pulled into a quick, tight hug. "Er, nice to meet you too, Mrs. Tonks."

Stepping back, her arm still on his shoulder, she shook her head. "No, that won't do. Call me Andromeda, please. You were so close with my favorite cousin, thus you are immediately a friend of mine," she said smiling.

"Well, you're no friend of mine," smirked Tonks.

"Nympha—"

"Mum! Please don't call me that," she spat, face reddening.

"It is the name I gave you when you first crossed the threshold into this world. Surely, you don't expect me to refer to you by our last name?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Then, it's settled. As I was saying, Nymphadora...Actually, I don't remember what I was saying," she frowned.

Seizing the chance to escape a lecture, Tonks turned to Harry. "Where's the old wolf?"

"Oh, he's upstairs. He said he would be down shortly," said Harry, finding his seat again.

"What's he doing up there? Is he trying to make himself look pretty?" she asked as she and her mother stepped forward and took seats at the table.

Harry couldn't suppress a laugh. Fortunately, the door opened at that moment and he was spared having to respond. There was a mass of red entering the room, most of which headed straight towards him.

"Harry, dear. How are you?" asked a smiling Mrs. Weasley, who was at the front of the pack.

He stood once again and accepted her warm embrace. "I'm fine Mrs. Weasley. It's good to see you."

"Wonderful to see you too, dear," she replied.

"Yes, just wonderful," spoke a mockingly sweet voice.

Harry looked past her to confirm George to be the speaker. As always, Fred was the next one to step out, and add his comment. "Oh, wonderful. Wonderful, indeed."

They both stepped closer to Harry, their arms outstretched. "You look wonderful Harry, dear," said George.

"Don't we look wonderful, too?" asked Fred, indicating himself and George with a wave of his hands.

"Seeing you today is just so..." began George.

"Wonderful," finished Fred, as they both enveloped him in their arms, and began lifting him from the ground.

"Boys, stop that," snapped their mother.

Fred retorted, "But mum, we're only trying to express to Harry how..."

"Wonderful it is to see him," finished George, as they released Harry from their grips. This allowed Harry to see two other people standing a few feet away. Ron and Hermione watched the twins' amusing display in silence, though Ron's face contained a budding smile. It was Hermione, however, who seized the open route to Harry, and flung hers arms around him.

"It's so good to see you," she exclaimed, still virtually attached to him.

"You too, 'Mione," he said. Ron had stepped forward by now, and helped to separate Hermione from their friend.

"Hermione, let go of him already," said Ron.

She blushed as she stepped back, which caused her to lower her face. "Sorry, Harry."

"No, it's okay. I'm just glad to see you two are alright," he replied.

"Ron gave him a knowing look, and then slapped his hand on to Harry's shoulder and said, "The feeling is mutual."

Sensing the potentially awkward moment on the horizon, Tonks spoke up from her seat at the table. "It's spanking good to see you all." Then with a nod to her side, she added, "Oh, by the way, this is me mum, Andromeda."

Everyone turned and greeted Tonks and Andromeda. Fred, George, and Mrs. Weasley all took seats at the table, which left Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing by themselves a few feet away. It was at this moment that Harry noticed someone standing against the door frame that he had not previously realized was there, because of all the commotion. She was staring right at him, in an attempt to burn a whole through his eyes. He was not completely surprised to find that the expression upon Ginny's face, however, was slightly glum.

Without diverting his eyes from her gaze, he whispered to Ron, "What's wrong with Ginny?"

Hermione didn't allow Ron a chance to answer, and took it upon herself to field the question. Doing her best to keep her voice down, she said, "We aren't quite sure, actually. I tried asking her earlier, but she said she was fine, and then changed the subject."

"She's been acting this way for a day or so," said Ron.

Their gaze was broken when Mrs. Weasley spoke from her spot at the table a few seconds later, and Ginny turned her attention to her mother. "Ginny, dear, come meet Mrs. Tonks."

"Please, call me Andromeda," Harry heard the woman say.

Ginny quickly glanced back his way, but then turned, walked to the table, and took a seat next to her mother. Harry watched her the entire way. Noticing that his eyes were trained on the youngest Weasley, Hermione spoke up, "Harry is there something you want to tell us?"

Unsure how to answer the question, he instead decided to simply ignore it, and turned his eyes to Hermione and asked, "So, is anyone else coming?"

"Dad is supposed to be here. He said something about having to go to a meeting at the Ministry first, though. Other than him, I don't know," replied Ron, oblivious to Hermione's previous question.

"Where's Professor Lupin?" asked Hermione.

"Right here," answered the man in question. He had just opened the door in time to catch the bushy haired girl's inquiry into his whereabouts. Hermione was startled by this, and she couldn't help but let out a small squeak. The trio turned their eyes to the man, who first looked Harry straight in the eyes for a good two seconds, which told him that everything was taken care of and his luggage and Hedwig were in place.

"Ron, Hermione, always a pleasure to see you. Everything is well, I hope?" he asked, turning his attention their way.

Their replies were short and congenial, and followed by Hermione asking Lupin how he had been. Harry tuned them all out, however. Even though he still appeared to be listening, his ear prickled moments before when he caught a sliver of the conversation taking place between Mrs. Weasley and everyone else at the table.

"So, you came anyway?" asked Andromeda. "But, why?"

"Well, the children couldn't come by themselves. Be quiet boys," Mrs. Weasley immediately added to halt the forthcoming protest of the twins.

"But, Arthur is coming too, isn't he?" asked Tonks.

"Yes, he will be here shortly. Sirius' named him in the will, I guess."

"But not you?" Andromeda asked in an outraged voice.

"Sirius and I didn't exactly see eye to eye on certain matters," she admitted.

"But, Arthur is your husband, and if he is mentioned, then you have every right to be present as well. Plus, you can represent the children," argued Andromeda.

"No, I intend to honor Sirius' final wish. Only those who are specifically named in the will should be allowed to be present. And Arthur will be in there, so the children will have a guardian present."

Stunned, Andromeda had no response but, "I see."

Harry was unable to listen any longer, though, because his name was just spoken by Ron, which meant he had to return his attention to his friends.

"Hey, Harry, are you alive?" Ron asked as he snapped his fingers in front of Harry's face.

Shaking his head in order to regain the focus of his eyes, he said, "Yeah, sorry. I was...umm...thinking about something."

Lowering her voice, Hermione spoke, "No you weren't. You were listening to Mrs. Weasley talk about how she shouldn't be here."

Harry looked at her incredulously. How did she know? Sensing this train of thought, she added, "I saw that you weren't paying attention, and then I overheard her say something of interest, so I started listening too. The look on your face a second ago gave it away. It was one of complete confusion. It reminded me of Ron."

This caused Harry to laugh. She truly was one of the cleverest people he had ever met. Ron didn't find her comment all that funny, though.

"What was that supposed to mean?" he asked, temper rising.

"Honestly Ronald, if you don't already know—"

Her comment was cut off by Lupin, who sensed an oncoming argument. Raising his voice so that everyone present could hear, he said "Why don't we all move to the drawing room. Dumbledore and Arthur are the only two not to arrive yet, and each should be here momentarily."

With that, the crowd evacuated the kitchen. A couple of minutes later they were all sitting comfortably in the drawing room, waiting and chatting civilly. Ron had already forgotten his beef with Hermione, and the two sat next to one another on one of the new couches that Lupin had conjured in order to seat the small crowd. Harry took the seat on Ron's other side and watched as everyone else took their seats. Fred, George, and Mrs. Weasley all sat on the couch adjacent to Harry, while Lupin, Tonks, Adromeda, and Ginny all sat directly across from him. At first, he found it peculiar that Ginny did not sit with her family, but quickly remembered her letter and the fact that she was growing tired of them. A twinge of guilt appeared within Harry. He hadn't even greeted her yet. She must be upset, especially if she wouldn't even take the extra spot next to him on his couch. He resolved to try to silently communicate to her. His eyes were directed right at her face, which was currently pointed towards her knees. He continued to look her way until Arthur Weasley entered the room a few moments later.

"Hello everyone. I'm sorry for being late. I had to attend another blasted meeting," he said ruefully. Then he added, a bit more formally, "Dumbledore is in the kitchen making a few last minute preparations. He said he will be up in a minute."

Everyone nodded and greeted him as he took the open seat next to his wife and began grumbling about the meeting he just left. Harry took the opportunity to continue his mission of getting Ginny to meet his gaze. Again, he looked straight at her. This time she was not looking at her knees. Her father's entrance had caused her to glance towards the door, and she had not yet returned them to their previous position. Slowly, they made their way to Harry. The surprise on her face was evident, but was soon replaced by a more questioning look.

Harry inaudibly mouthed to her, "Hello."

An ever so slight blush filled her cheeks. Oddly, this pleased Harry. In an almost perfect imitation of him, she silently returned his greeting. "Hi."

The blush in her cheeks was rising and there was a trace of a smile, which in turn delighted Harry even more. Just as he was about to invite her to sit next to him, Dumbledore entered the room, and everyone's attention was turned to him.

"Greetings," he said in a business-like voice. Mrs. Weasley immediately rose, said hello to Dumbledore and then left the room, closing the doors behind her.

Once the room was secure, Dumbledore proceeded to a chair that was positioned in the center of the group. Setting his briefcase down beside the chair, he turned to those gathered, and said, "Welcome to the reading of the Will Testament of Sirius Black. It was Mr. Black's final request that all of you be present here today, and I am glad to see that everyone who should be is in attendance." He then sat in the chair, and lifted the briefcase to his lap. He unlatched it and began to fumble through its contents. When he found what he was looking for, he closed the briefcase and lowered it back to the ground. Dumbledore now held a bundle of letters in his hand.

"The first item on the agenda is a statement prepared by Mr. Black to everyone present. I shall now read it aloud." Dumbledore sat the letters on his lap, lifted the top one from the stack, opened it, and removed the contents. He then took his wand and gently tapped the parchment that he had removed. Instantly, it unfolded itself and began to hover in the air right in front of Dumbledore. What came next was something that Harry wasn't sure he was prepared to face. He heard Sirius' voice. The final statement had been recorded by Sirius on this parchment, and now he heard the man's voice he thought he would never hear again. His throat tightened as he listened.

_"Hello everyone. If you are listening to this, then I must apologize, because I have obviously made an early departure. I understand that this may be a hard time for everyone, but please know that whatever happened was meant to be. I want to thank you all for being so dear to me, and making the last couple of years worth living. I know that I haven't always expressed my gratitude, but it has always been present._

_Okay, if my wishes have been carried out properly, then right now Harry, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Fred and George Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Andromeda Tonks are all present. First, I want to say that I have a letter prepared for each one of you to read privately. Once I have had my say here, Professor Dumbledore will distribute them to you. I only ask that you be sure to read them, whenever you feel ready. Also, before I continue, let me remind everyone that as the executor, Dumbledore will ensure that all transactions are carried out properly. He can answer any questions that you may have._

_Now, I would like to begin with Arthur. First, let me say that I do not dislike your wife. Molly is a good woman, and she means well. The letter that I have left for you is also intended for her. There are...reasons, however, that I wish her to not be present right now. Please apologize to her for me. That being said, Arthur, let me thank you for everything you have ever done for me. It is my wish that 100,000 galleons be transferred from the Black family vault to Arthur and Molly Weasley. _

Mr. Weasley appeared shocked. His eyes widened at the announcement, and he was obviously not expecting anything of the sort. He merely nodded at Dumbledore, who returned the gesture, and then began to study his shoes rather closely.

_Next: Fred and George. You two kept me on my toes every time you came around. You have no idea how impressed I am with you two. I truly think that you are going to make quite a lasting impression on our world. I leave to you, my old journal from school. Inside is a list various pranks and mischievous ideas that we had while we were in school. Not all of them were used, and even some of the ones that we did try were pretty ingenious, if I may say so. Hopefully it will help to spark some ideas for your business._

Fred and George had been quiet since the start of the reading, and currently sat quietly with smug smiles upon their faces. Sirius' gift to them was more than they possibly could have asked for, and they intended to make the most of the journal.

_Ron, you have proved to be one of the most loyal people that I have ever met. I want to thank you for always being at Harry's side. There is nothing as great as a true friend, and that is what you are and always will be, to him. To you, I leave 1,000 galleons._

_Ginny, you are going to be a marvelous witch someday. I want you to promise to take everything in my personal letter to you to heart. I mean every single word. This might be confusing now, but it won't be for long. To you, I leave 1,000 galleons._

_Hermione, much like Ron, you have always remained by Harry's side. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for that. Never cease to strive towards what you know you can achieve: greatness. To you, I leave the entire contents of the Black Family Library in order to help you along the way. _

_Andromeda, my dear cousin. You have always been my favorite relative, and I want to thank you for always understanding what I was going through. To you and Nymphadora...sorry, Tonks...I leave 100,000 galleons and Kreacher. Read my letter for more information._

_Moony, I don't even know where to begin. You and James are the two best friends that a man could ever have. I bequeath to you 500,000 galleons. Please, buy some new robes with this money, which you must accept, whether you like it or not. _

_Harry. Words cannot express how much it has meant to me to be able to fulfill my duties as your Godfather the past couple of years. You are a truly remarkable young man. I leave to you, everything else. This includes an estimated 3 million galleons, as well as the deed to Grimmauld Place. Also, all of the contents inside are yours, as well as Buckbeak. However, I ask that you consider giving him to Hagrid as a gift from me. I'm sure that would make both of them quite happy. Also, I ask that you allow Moony to continue to reside at Grimmauld Place for as long as he likes. Not that you really have a say in the matter, because unless you have turned eighteen yet, I appoint Remus as your new legal guardian. And Harry, go easy on him. He's a bit fragile._

_Finally, I assume that the war is still in progress and Voldemort is still at large. If this is the case, I just want to tell everyone to be careful. You are all very able of taking care of yourselves, but things will only get worse before they get better. You must unite. If you stand together against him, you'll be stronger and more difficult for him to encounter. Stand alone, and success is beyond reach. I know that the right side will prevail in this war. Good luck."_

Harry wasn't sure when he started crying, but he knew it had been somewhere near the beginning of the testament, possibly after Fred and George had been mentioned. When he heard Sirius say his final remarks, Harry's head was buried in his hands, and he was sobbing freely. He was barely able to hear the words over the sounds of his tears. All he knew was that he hurt. He wanted the pain to subside, but he couldn't. All he could do was cry. There had been arms around him since seconds after he began to cry, but he didn't even have the strength to raise his head and see who it was that held him.

A/N: I understand that this is a bit of a cliff-hanger, but I just had to end it this way. Unfortunately, I don't think that the next chapter will be posted for a couple of weeks, at the very least. I've got a lot of things on my plate right now, including final papers. My semester is coming to a close, and I just don't foresee a whole lot of time to work on this fic. If I have any free time, I will...but I doubt there'll be much time. On top of school and work, I have to take the GRE the first week of December, and get my applications ready for Graduate School (this includes writing 20-25 pages of original fiction).

All that aside, I feel that I should give a clue or two as to what lies ahead in this story. Without giving much away, let me just say that the personal letters written by Sirius may be revealed...some of them, anyway. Also, there will be an Order meeting soon. Finally, a certain blonde boy will work his way into the plot...and will prove to be an integral part.

Okay, now...PLEASE REVIEW!


	9. Conversations

A/N: Yeah…Ummm….I know I said a couple of weeks…And I know that it has been a couple of months…Let's just say that I have been really busy, and honestly have not had time to work on this at all, until recently. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and thanks to all those who e-mailed me about when I would get this chapter out. It feels good to know that people really want more of this story. I apologize for the wait. Well, here it is…

CHAPTER 9 - Conversations

The reading had been over for several minutes, and the room was still silent. Harry had shifted his head into the shoulder of the person holding him some time before Sirius' voice faded away once and for all. He was still sobbing, though not quite as freely. For the moment, he wanted only to be held. He heard Dumbledore's distant voice, but was unaware of what was being said. Soon after, there was a light tap on his shoulder. Harry slowly raised his head from the comfortable nook in which it was resting, and his eyes met those of a somber looking Dumbledore. The man did not speak; he merely held out his hand, which contained an envelope. Harry stared blankly at it for a long moment, and finally resolved to accept the offering. As he held the envelope in his hand, he knew exactly what it contained and decided that he wasn't ready to see the contents. Right now, he just wanted to return to his previous position. He turned with intentions of doing so, and his eyes locked with a pair of bright brown eyes. They were deep, sincere, and as Harry quickly realized, the property of Ginny. He unflinchingly held her gaze for several seconds before he suddenly realized that their faces were only inches from one another. It was at that moment that he also realized the situation he was in: there he sat, crying in the middle of a room full of people, while being held by Ginny Weasley. Without thinking, he leapt from the couch, horrified at the thought of the awkward position in which he had just been found.

With tears still streaming the length of his cheeks, he took a quick blurred survey of the room in order to get his bearings, and then dashed out the door. He said absolutely nothing to anyone on his way out, and headed straight up the stairs to his room. Once inside, he shut the door and locked it with a flick of his wand. As he strode towards the bed, he dropped the letter and his wand in the middle of the room. He then dove onto the bed and shoved his face into the pillow, hoping that by the time he rose everyone would be gone. How much worse would this day possibly get for him? He was forced to endure the pain of hearing Sirius speak to him, without being able to respond or even see the man. He had cried in front of everyone, who no doubt thought him to be weak now, having witnessed such a spectacle. But, what was Ginny doing? He would have never guessed in a million years that she was the person holding him as he cried. What was really confusing was the fact that he felt so incredibly comfortable in her arms. He half-wished that he could return to the position he had been in not five minutes before, but before even completing the thought, he silently cursed himself for wishing such a thing. It was Ginny! He wasn't supposed to want to be near Ginny, let alone be held by her. She was just his friend who he occasionally spent time with…in the company of other people.

A few minutes passed and there was a light knock on the door, but rather than respond, he merely kept his face buried in the pillow. He was not ready, nor willing, to face anyone yet. He didn't care if it was Lupin, Ron, or even Dumbledore. It didn't matter. He wasn't ready to face anyone. Luckily, whoever had knocked was not persistent in the least, and didn't even bother to rap their fist against the door a second time. 

After a few moments of lying with his face buried in the pillow, Harry's emotional pain began to subside, and he slowly pried his face away from its newest hiding spot. Gradually, he made his way to a sitting position on top of the bed, and stared around the room. He was unsure as to what his next course of action should be, but quickly found his answer. As his eyes surveyed the room, they fell upon the small beige envelope lying in the middle of the floor. Without giving it a second thought, he stood and retrieved the letter from his Godfather. He suddenly felt the need to connect his eyes with the words of Sirius. Once he had comfortably settled back onto the bed, he delicately unsealed the envelope, making sure not to tear it at all. The letter slid out easily into the palm of his hand. The familiar tightening sensation in his throat was gradually reappearing. He hesitated for a moment before unfolding the parchment. This was Sirius' final message to him. What little emotional strength he had left was exerted as he read through the letter.

_Harry,_

_I can only hope that you are reading this as an adult, and that the war is over. That scenario is most unlikely, though. If you are still at Hogwarts, and Voldemort is still at large, then hopefully my death at least aided our cause. Harry, I want you to know that the time we have spent together has meant the world to me. If I ever had a son of my own, I would want him to be exactly like you. I say this, because you are the son of the best friend that I have ever known. You share many of the traits that your father possessed, and I assure you, that is a good thing. James was a great man. He was brave, intelligent, funny, and one of the most loyal people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. You are like him in so many ways. Harry, it is imperative that you understand that your parents were good people. And just like them, you are a good person. If only I were half the man that your father was or that you will be, then maybe my life would have gone differently. _

_That being said, there is something that I need to tell you that may seem a bit strange, coming from me. Harry, it is your destiny to defeat Voldemort. You may or may not have discovered the prophecy about you and him. If you haven't, then now is the time for you to understand. Your mother and father told Remus and me when you were a baby that a prophecy had been made and Voldemort would be coming after you. The prophecy basically stated that he would mark you as an equal (your scar), and that one of you would have to kill the other in order to live. I realize this is a lot to grasp, but there is no time to waste. Harry, I believe with all of my heart that you will be the one to survive. You are going to defeat that evil bastard. _

_You are probably asking yourself how you are supposed to do such a thing. The specifics are uncertain, but there is one thing that I know for sure. Although you will ultimately be required to perform the task alone, you must not travel this path to salvation without help. You must enlist those who are dear to you, as difficult as that may be to do. Your friends, Ron and Hermione, remind me so much of James and Remus. The three of us would never leave one another's side in a time of need, and I am positive that your friends are exactly the same way. They both contain qualities that will be extremely useful along the way. Most importantly, though, they will be there to support you, emotionally. DO NOT SHUT THEM OUT! No matter how hard you try to shelter them from the horrors of this war, the three of you need one another in order to survive. I say three, but I actually mean four. Without completely overstepping my bounds here, I want to bring to your attention the fourth member of your inner circle. Let me just reiterate that you cannot try to shelter those you care about. You must embrace them and what they offer. The fourth in your group will likely prove to be the most crucial component for you. Open your mind to all possibilities, and remember that time is precious. I have said enough._

_Remember, this is your destiny. You are meant to prevail over evil. Utilize your strengths and bring unity to those who oppose the dark side. And most importantly, be careful. Goodbye._

_Sirius_

A mixture of emotions was swirling inside Harry. The temptation to release the flood gates was on the horizon, but before the opportunity presented itself, there was another knock on the door. Once again, he ignored it, hoping that whoever stood on the other side of the threshold would just leave if he didn't respond. His wish was not granted, however. He soon heard the unlocking spell spoken aloud, followed by a soft click. As he raised his eyes to the opening door, Harry saw Hermione enter the room cautiously. Once she saw that he was looking right at her, rather than speak, she opted to first turn and shut the door. Once this was done, she walked to where he sat on the bed, and took the spot directly beside him. His eyes were now aimed at the floor again.

"Are you alright?" She whispered in a concerned voice. When he didn't respond, she motioned to the letter which he still clutched in his hand. "Is that…is it his letter to you?"

Harry nodded, and in order to bypass her attempt to have him tell her what the letter said and thus bother him, he handed it to her. Caught off guard by this course of action, she timidly accepted the letter, glancing back at him for a short moment before indulging herself with the content of the letter.

The silence permeated the room as Hermione read Sirius' letter to Harry, and he continued to stare at the floor. The couple of minutes that it took her to absorb the extremely intimate message from Godfather to Godson felt more like hours. Harry spent this time revisiting the message in his mind. Some of the things that Sirius had said were quite confusing, and he didn't remember ever hearing the man speak in such a way before.

Bringing him out of his trance-like state was a soft and feeble version of Hermione's usually strong and determined voice.

"H-Harry," she half-whispered. "The prophecy—"

"I already knew," he said, shame apparent in his tone for not having told her before.

"What?" she asked disbelievingly, her voice back to its normal level. "How? I thought it shattered at the ministry."

Raising his head to look her in the eyes for the first time, he said, "Dumbledore. He was the sole witness when it was made. He told me _that_ night in his office."

"But why didn't you tell us?" she asked.

"Well, it's a bit of a difficult thing to grasp; knowing that you are the only person standing in the way of the most evil wizard in history," he said coyly.

"But, Harry—"

"Listen, Hermione. I really don't want to talk about it right now, if you don't mind." Before she could protest, he added, "I promise we can discuss it another time."

"Well—"

"Please, Hermione!" he shouted, a bit louder than he had intended.

"If you'd let me finish, you know that I was going to ask you about something else," she said in her parental-like tone. "There's no need to snap at me."

Harry blushed slightly, and looked away from her. "Oh, right. Sorry."

"It's okay."

"So, umm, what were you going to ask?"

"Well, I was curious about the last part of the letter." She paused, waiting to see if he would comment. After a few seconds, she continued. "The fourth person in our…"inner circle," she said with an emphasis on the words directly from the letter.

This was the part of the letter which had really interested Harry. He was confused about it, yet he felt that somewhere inside his head lay the answer to the question of who the fourth person was.

"I wasn't really expecting anything like that," he admitted. "I'm not sure exactly what he meant by it."

"It's obvious, isn't it?" she replied.

"Umm, not really," he said, knowing it was a blatant lie.

"Oh, come on, Harry. I didn't think you were as daft as Ron. He meant that this...fourth person...means a lot, or will mean a lot to you, and that you are going to be protective of her."

"How do you know it's a 'her?'" he asked defensively. "For all we know, he could mean Seamus.

Hermione ignored his comment, however, and continued. "Sirius seemed to think that this person is going to be an important part of your life. He seemed so sure of it. I wonder what he knew that we don't?" she asked, now speaking more to herself than to Harry. "I mean, it's obvious that she cares, but—"

He had listened to enough of this, and asked his question again, his voice slightly more forceful. "How do you know it is a 'she' that Sirius is talking about? Do you know who?"

"Harry, seriously, open your eyes," she said, disapprovingly.

There was a knock at the door. Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but Harry quickly cut her off. His voiced lowered, he said, "Hermione, could you do me a favor and not mention any of this to anyone else right now? I mean, I'll tell Ron eventually, but I just don't know that I am ready."

"Of course, Harry. If you'll promise me something, that is."

There was another, louder knock on the door, and Ron's voice could be heard from the other side. "Can we come in?"

Glancing at the door, and then back to Hermione, Harry said, "That depends. What is it that you want?"

"I want you to promise that you and I can talk again sometime in the next few days. Somehow, some way, we need to finish this discussion, and…well, we need to talk about something else, sort of related, too."

He considered this just for a second, because, the door opened at that moment. Before turning to look towards the door, Harry quietly said, "Okay, now give me the letter." He snatched it from her hands, and hastily put it back in the envelope and then into his pocket. When he glanced to see who had been waiting to come in, he saw a sight that lightened his mood quite a bit.

Fred and George stumbled into the room, arms stretched out in front of them, in search of anything solid. They had their eyes clinched shut for some odd reason. Ron, however, seemed to understand what was going on better than Harry, because his facial expression was one of utter dread.

"Harry, Hermione, where are you two?" asked Fred, as he turned and walked into the wall. "Ouch! You aren't there." He then turned and headed in the opposite direction. He and George then nearly knocked into one another as they continued ambling about.

Harry looked to Hermione, who was just as confused, yet amused by the situation as he was. Ron who still stood in the doorway, began to walk to where Harry and Hermione, when he saw that Fred and George had spread themselves to opposite sides of the room. Hearing the extra set of footsteps, George leapt in that direction and latched his hand around Ron's forehead, and his other one over his mouth. Fred had the same instinct, and quickly headed towards the commotion.

Tiptoeing closer, with his ear exposed to the struggling brothers, Fred too leapt at them, and grabbed George's arm. He then began to move his hand up George's arm to Ron's head, inspecting the situation.

"What the bloody hell are you two doing?" he asked. Then turning his head the other way, as if to speak in the direction he thought George to be, he said, "George, I knew it! I knew we shouldn't open our eyes in here. I've just caught them fooling around!"

Harry whipped his head around to look at Hermione, who was now blushing furiously, but grinning just as much. This allowed him to relax, and realize the humor of the accusation. He looked back to see George's reaction.

"You don't need to yell, I'm right here," he said, still holding his hand over a struggling Ron's mouth.

"Wait a minute," said Fred. He started running his hands over the head belonging to the arm he first found. As he did this, George also, began to suspect something. He let go of Ron, and began to inspect the head of the person touching him. Then at the same time, they each suddenly halted their action, and their eyes flashed open,

"Hey!" They both yelled. Then they turned to see a disheveled looking Ron, whose face was the color of a fully ripe tomato. Harry and Hermione simultaneously erupted into fits of laughter at the looks on the three Weasley's faces, which was a mixture of embarrassment, disgust, and surprise.

Fred and George quickly recovered from their shock, and joined in the laughing. Ron had yet to find more humor in the situation than embarrassment, and his face still lacked its normal coloring. He did manage to find his way to the bed where Harry and Hermione sat, and joined them. After a minute or so of chuckling by everyone else, Fred moved to the door, and shut it. The twins then made their way toward the middle of the room, with their eyes locked on to their prey.

"Hey, Harry," said Fred, as he and George took seats on the floor, "We've got to tell you about our letter from Sirius."

"Yeah, we have some questions for you," added George.

Harry watched them with a cautious eye. Tentatively, he said, "What do you mean?"

"Well, actually," said Fred hesitantly, "We need to speak to you privately."

Then George quickly added, "This will technically be our first ever Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes Stockholders meeting, because it has to do with the store."

"You've got to be kidding me," said Ron outraged. "I'm your brother."

"Yes, well, business is business," said Fred, amused at his younger sibling's outrage.

"So, do you two mind leaving for a few minutes, so we can begin?" asked George.

"Yes, I mind!" yelled Ron.

"Honestly, we won't interfere," said Hermione, calmly.

"Sorry, we prefer to keep all meetings closed to the general public," said George.

As Ron was about to protest yet again, Harry finally spoke up. "Why don't you guys go on downstairs? We'll be down in a little while."

"But Harry—"

"Come on Ronald. Let's just go. Lunch should be ready shortly, anyway," said Hermione, rising from her seat. She reached down, grabbed his hand, and dragged him towards the door. Just before exiting, she turned and said, "Don't take too long. Like I said, I imagine lunch is almost ready." With that, she pulled Ron out of the room, and shut the door.

Harry returned his eyes to the twins, who now had broad smiles plastered on their faces.

George stood, clasped his hands together, and said, "Okay, let's get started."

"First off, let's talk about the store. As you may have heard earlier, Sirius left us his journal from when he was in school. It contains multitudes of great ideas for future products for the company," said Fred, from his seat on the floor.

"Umm, okay. So you guys are going to use his ideas? Great," said Harry, unenthusiastically.

"Well, there's more. The real reason we wanted to speak to you privately is because of something that Sirius mentioned in his letter to us. It doesn't exactly have to do with the store," said George.

"Yeah, we just said that in order to get rid of Ronnikins," said Fred.

"Oh, okay. What did the letter say?" asked Harry.

"He said that he wanted something in return for having left us his journal," said Fred.

"And we thought about it - he was right. We do owe it to you. I mean, you are the reason that we even have a business," added George.

"Owe what to me? You don't owe me anything. I'm confused. I thought it was Sirius who you owed," said Harry.

"We owe you our allegiance," said Fred flatly.

"Your allegiance?" Harry asked confused. "But, I already know you two are in the Order."

"That isn't what we mean," said George.

"Of course, we'll always do what we can to help the Order," began Fred.

"But this is more important than the Order of the Phoenix," finished George.

"What's more important?" asked Harry.

"That you succeed," both Fred and George said simultaneously.

"That I…wait a second. You know?" Harry asked, rising. Then, before either could say anything, Harry answered his own question. "Sirius' letter. He told you, didn't he?"

"He did. And we know that you are going to need help along the way, so we want you to know that we are at your disposal," said George.

"Erm…thanks, I think," he said.

"Fred, he still hasn't figured it out, has he?" asked George, shaking his head.

"It appears that way. He's much denser than we thought," replied Fred. Then turning his attention back to Harry, he said, "Listen, we aren't saying to floo us every time you want to prank Malfoy."

"Although, we would be more than willing to help with that particular task," said George.

"Listen, Harry. We are inventors. That's what we do. If you need anything created, or any ideas, let us know," finished Fred.

"But, until then, we can still help you make a fool of the ferret," said George.

Harry stood rooted to his spot, speechless. He wasn't quite sure what to make of all of this. He still wasn't used to discussing the fact that he was the wizarding world's solution to its biggest problem.

Turning to his twin, George asked, "Fred, did you stun him with out me noticing?"

"No, I figured you did," said Fred.

Realizing he was being chided, Harry spoke, "Sorry…this is all just a bit overwhelming."

"We understand. But that's the point, really. We want to help make life easier for you," said George.

"I suppose that makes sense," said Harry.

"Well, now that you've regained control of that lump resting on you shoulders…," began Fred.

Harry managed a smile. "Yeah, thanks guys. I appreciate this."

"No problem. Now, before you go and get all sentimental on us, let's go down and eat. I'm starving, and if we don't hurry Ron will have eaten all the grub," said George.

"Good idea," said Fred, as he made his way to the door. "You coming?" he asked, turning back towards Harry.

Stepping towards them, he replied, "Sure, I'm right behind you." With that they all left the room, and made their way towards the kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen, Harry was held back near the door by Hermione, whose eyes flashed seriously at him.

"What is it?" he asked, tensing.

"I'm just curious; what was that all about?" she asked, lowering her voice.

Relaxing, he let out a sigh. "Oh, upstairs? That was…." While searching for the right words, his eyes scanned the room. Something was amiss.

"Well?" asked Hermione impatiently.

Having refocused his mind on discovering the missing piece to the puzzle of the kitchen setting that lay before his eyes, Harry forgot what he was trying to tell her about his meeting with Fred and George. His reply wasn't exactly what she was hoping to hear. "Huh?" he asked, still searching the room with his eyes.

"Harry, snap out of it," she said, as she traced his line of sight to the table, where Ron, Fred, George, Lupin, Tonks, Andromeda, and Mrs. Weasley all sat chatting away while indulging themselves with a hearty meal. Always quick on the uptake, Hermione said, "She left a couple of minutes ago."

This caught his attention. He turned back towards Hermione, with a questioning expression on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh come off it, Harry. You know exactly what I mean; or rather, who I mean," she said bluntly.

"Did…did she leave because…," he began.

"I don't know. She wouldn't talk to me. As soon as she heard Mr. Weasley say he was going back to the Burrow before returning to work, she asked to go with him."

Harry lowered his head. How did he always manage to mess things up? Ginny was upset now because of him. How could he have allowed his emotions to get the better of him? He began to shake his head in disappointment.

Hermione instantly realized what he was thinking. Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, she leaned in close to his ear and said, "Don't worry about it, Harry. She isn't upset with you."

"Obviously, she was upset," he whispered. "Otherwise, she would still be here."

"Just let it go. Trust me; she is not upset with you. I promise you, everything will be alright. Now, come on; let's get you something to eat," she said, grabbing his forearm and pulling him towards the table.

A/N: I am not going to speculate on how long it will take me for the next chapter, because I truly have no idea. I would like to think that I will be able to finish it and post it before classes begin (which is on the 20th), but I just don't know. Don't forget to review!!! Thanks!


	10. Bad Timing

A/N: Yeah, haven't updated in a while. I'm just so freaking busy now. I'm not going to predict how long it may be until my next post, because I have no idea. The only thing I do know is that I appreciate all of the reviews from the last chapter, and I hope everyone is still interested in this story. Also, I know this is relatively short, but I figured it's better to post something now, rather than this plus another 1,000 words or so a month from now.

CHAPTER 10 – Bad Timing

Lunch was more of a blur than anything for Harry. While Hermione, as well as most of the other people seated at the table attempted to pull him in to conversation, he just wouldn't budge. He responded to most queries with short and direct answers, and put little or no thought into any of his statements. He didn't care, either. He just sat and waited until he could leave without being rude, occasionally taking a bite of the food in front of him.

Finally, Mrs. Weasley rose from her seat, which signaled the end of the meal. Harry followed suit, and seconds later was standing. To his surprise, however, someone else had already left the table, too. Ron was already rooted between Harry and the door. Harry raised an eyebrow at his friend, curious to know what he was doing. Ron merely glanced around the room as if to check to make sure no one was watching, and when he was satisfied, nodded towards the door. He then turned and exited the kitchen. Without hesitation, Harry followed. Neither said a word until they were back in the drawing room, the only place other than the kitchen that Harry did not want to be at that moment in time. Before he could suggest moving to another location, Ron shut the door and turned towards Harry.

"I need to talk to you," he said, his voice rather bold.

"Oh, is this about…erm, what was in the letter you sent me?" asked Harry.

"Uh, yeaaahh. Did you, um, give it any thought?" Ron asked.

"Listen Ron, I don't know about this sorta stuff. I'd like to help you, but I don't know what to say."

"But this isn't a typical situation. This isn't just any girl. We're talking about Hermione, here," said Ron, desperation evident in his voice. "Harry, you have to help me."

"Okay, you like her? Then just tell her that," Harry said, as if it were obvious.

Ron groaned loudly. "I can't tell her that I like her! It's Hermione!"

"Well, I don't know what else to tell you, mate." This caused Ron to groan rather loudly once again, and sit on the couch where he had been during the reading. He buried his face in his hands, and remained motionless for a moment's time. Then, as if there hadn't been any pause in their conversation, he lifted his head from its resting place and said, "You know, Sirius mentioned this in his letter to me."

Harry, who had been leaning against the wall as he waited for Ron to speak again, immediately straightened. "What did he say?"

"He talked about the war, and he said something about how we all need to come together. Then, almost out of the blue, there was a sentence that explained that I'm going to need Hermione to get through it all, and that I need to not waste any more time."

Harry was beginning to see a connection form between all of Sirius' letters. For some reason, before he had died, Sirius felt obligated to give relationship advice. But was that really what all this was about? Something told Harry there was more to this sudden trend in Sirius' thoughts.

"The strange thing is," Ron continued, "that I've been thinking almost the exact same thing since the night at the ministry. When I read Sirius' letter today, it pretty much confirmed things for me." Then, Harry witnessed something that he never expected, nor had he ever thought capable of Ron. The tall and lanky redhead stood from his seat on the couch, and in the most courageous and sincere voice Harry had ever heard from his friend, said "He's right. I have to tell her how I feel, because I'm afraid of what will happen if I don't."

Oddly enough, Harry vaguely understood what he meant. He was about to say so, when he noticed Ron's face suddenly turn as pale as a ghost. His eyes were wide and his jaw was now hanging open. Harry turned to see what it was that caused Ron to freeze, and he quickly found the source. Standing in the doorway with an equally shocked expression plastered across her face was Hermione. There was no need to even ask how long she had been standing there, as her expression was evidence enough that she had heard Ron's last statement.

Harry cleared his throat, in hopes that they would both snap out of their state of shock. The effect wasn't exactly what he was hoping for, but it was enough to make Hermione partially refocus her mind. She shook her head, and then looked to Harry for a moment. Then, her face still pearly white, she looked back to Ron, but dropped her eyes to his feet. Speaking at a lightning fast speed that made it difficult to understand the words, she said "WehavetogonowRonaldcomedownstairseveryoneisleavingbye." With that she swept back through the door and out of sight, hastily slamming the door as she went.

Harry looked to Ron, who plopped back down to his previous position on the couch, with his face buried in his hands. He then began to grown softly.

"Well, look on the bright side," he said, "at least now you don't have to work up the courage to tell her." This only caused the volume of Ron's groan to increase.

Harry stared at the ceiling of the bedroom as he lay on top of the covers. He had been in this position for nearly an hour, replaying the day's events in his head. Everyone departed shortly after the unexpected occurrence between Ron and Hermione. Incidentally, neither said a word to one another for the remainder of their time in Grimmauld Place. Both had a newfound interest in their own feet, it seemed. After saying goodbyes to everyone, and assuring them that he would be fine at the Dursley's, Harry and Lupin once again found themselves to be the only occupants of the house.

Now, as he lay on the bed, revisiting everything that happened over the course of the day, Harry once again felt alone. Sure, Lupin was still in the house; but, for some reason, he felt as if he needed his friends right now. Moreover, he felt as though the time he did share with them today, namely Ron and Hermione, was insufficient. A wave of guilt suddenly swept over him. He had forgotten about Ginny. After everything that happened, he forgot that he was supposed to talk with her, yet they didn't speak a single word to one another.

She deserved an explanation, but he felt as though he wouldn't be able to face her anytime soon. Besides, he was supposedly back at the Dursley's, where everyone thought he had to stay for the remainder of the summer, while she was at the Burrow. He would have to wait half the summer to talk to her, unless he took the easy way out and sent her an owl. He pondered this idea for a moment. It would be better than nothing. At least he could apologize, which would surely put his mind at ease.

Harry rose from the bed, and walked to where his trunk lay once again after having been retrieved from upstairs. He pulled out a small bit of parchment and one of his older quills, along with an ink bottle, and then sat and stared at it all. What exactly should he say? Time flew by as he contemplated what it was that he wanted to say to her. He simply couldn't seem to find the proper starting point. Finally, he decided to keep it simple, as he had in his most recent letter to her.

_Ginny _

_I want to apologize for what happened today. I wasn't thinking straight, and I would never intentionally do something to upset you. When I saw that you left on my account, I felt terrible. We didn't even get that chance to talk. Please let me know if there is any way that I can make it up to you. Hope everything is alright._

_Harry_

After reading over the letter three times in order to make sure it was perfect, he folded it up, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it. He then realized that Hedwig was not in the room. He had forgotten to bring her out of the meadow when he retrieved his trunk and other items. With a feeling of self-disgust for having forgotten her, Harry dropped the letter on the bed and hurried out of the room and up the stairs to Sirius' room.

He entered the empty room and made his way towards the portrait of the meadow, pulling out his wand along the way. He then tapped the frame and muttered the incantation that Lupin taught him, and watched as it began to slowly expand vertically until it was the same size as the closet door directly to the side. Before he had a chance to step inside, however, Harry was nearly knocked off of his feet by a flapping white blur soaring past him. He turned to see that she was frantically trying to exit through the window on the opposite side of the room, hooting loudly all the while.

"Hedwig, what's wrong girl?" he asked.

Before he could approach her, though, the lights in the room extinguished, and he was left standing in the dark. Instinctively, Harry raised his wand.

"Lumos."

He turned in a circle, shinning the light in each direction, until he faced the entryway to the meadow. There was still some light escaping through the doorway, though it was much dimmer than he remembered. Curious, he cautiously stepped through the frame, and at the same time turned out the light on his wand. He surveyed the area and found nothing to be out of place. The meadow seemed to be the same as always, with the exception of the light. Or could that just be his mind playing tricks with him? Satisfied that all was well in the meadow, he turned to exit. However, as he turned, he heard a rustling noise which made him freeze. It sounded like a gust of wind, except extreme. And then it began to get louder, and he felt the ground shake slightly. Harry whipped around to face the whole of the meadow again, and was met with the full force of an intense gust of wind, so brutal that it knocked him to the ground. Harry didn't waste any time getting back on his feet. He scrambled out of the room as quickly as possible and tapped the frame immediately to close it. As soon as it was shut, he raced towards the door to the hallway, calling Hedwig to follow him as he ran, and raced down the stairs.

"Lupin! Lupin!"

A/N: Please oh please review! Thanks!


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